Omega - Symbol of Destruction
by MigicTertle
Summary: 3 months after the Giant War. Percy's scared of not having any problems now because it's allowing him to think and he can't help but remember all the horror of the past few years. While in a nightmare, he causes some serious damage, runs away, gets captured and tortured, and saves demigods for years. But while away, the next great prophecy comes... rated T for now
1. Desparity

**Hey everyone, my first story so sorry if it's a little sloppy. I know this first chapter is a little generic, but it's necessary and it takes a more unusual direction from here (or at least that's what I'm trying to do). Hope you like it and please comment any suggestions about where I should take this or what to do. Also, should I keep this a Percabeth story? Or should I change it to a Pertemis story or someone else (which I can do easily)? My only problem was that I've read so many Pertemis stories that I kinda miss good ol' Percabeth. Let me know in the comments. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

**Percy POV**

A winds howled, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed. A violent storm was raging outside of Camp Half-Bloods weather spell, the only solace in it being it wasn't the raging of the Olympians. But with each disturbance, each thunderous boom, a certain raven haired, sea green eyed boy on the beach couldn't help but feel a part of his soul crack beneath him. With each rising wave, he could see them, the faces: Luke, Zoe, Bianca, Silena, Ethan, and all the others. Friends and foes, those he had fought and those who died fighting beside him. With each howl of the wind, he remembered the dying wails of agony and all those final plea's.

It had been over three months since the end of the Giant War, and surprisingly it had been the worst three months of Percy's life. It had been peaceful, no quests or prophecies, no more wars or giant battles, no world-ending threats lying on the horizon. What made it worse was that this is what Percy had been dreaming of for years, to finally be able to sit back and not worry about who is going to try and kill him tomorrow. He had been fighting since he was twelve, always wary of the next threat approaching, but with nothing happening and having the first time in years to himself, his thoughts couldn't help but wander to the horrors of the past despite the promising look of good things to come.

**Flashback 3 months ago**

Cheers and smiles covered Olympus. The war had been won, Gaea was slain, Roman and Greek demigods had joined together, and the troubles that had plagued Olympus for so long seemed to be at an end. The Seven walked together through the streets of Olympus, wading through the crowds of minor gods, nature spirits, campers, and friends all there to celebrate victory and commemorate the heroes. Even Leo was there after basically faking his death, giddy and beaming from all those cheering him and his friends, as if just a few days ago he hadn't just gotten the scolding of his life from his friends who were mad at him for dying on them and making them grieve.

They finally reached the throne room, stopping if only for a moment to take it all in. No matter how many times they came here and even with the reconstruction not having been completed, the marble pillars inlaid with gold and silver with the incredible designs and artwork were just as beautiful. They stepped into the center of the room, the crowds following and spreading out around the room, leaving The Seven in the spotlight before the twelve Olympians sitting on their thrones. Even Hestia and Hades sat there, albeit in smaller guest thrones as they were not on the council.

"SILENCE!" Zeus yelled over the noise while smashing his master bolt, creating a massive booming noise. Everyone immediately hushed down. "We gather here to celebrate our victory over Gaea and her dark forces! But also, we gather to celebrate the seven heroes and their friends who we could have never won without!" Everyone quickly cheered, invigorated by the pride and joy in Zeus's voice. The other Olympians were also smiling, gazing down in pride at their children, the children who brought them honor and saved Olympus.

"Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, daughter of Bellona, step forward!" said Jupiter, having switched to his Roman aspect for her. Reyna stepped forward, kneeling before him. "For your loyalty to Olympus, bravery in battle, exceptional leadership, and commitment to peace between the camps, we would like to offer you partial immortality, allowing you to live forever lest you fall in battle."

"I gratefully accept," said Reyna, her awe-filled smile threatening to break her face.

"Very well," said Jupiter, beaming in pride at having her lead the camp named for him. He raised him palm till it faced her and a bolt of lightning shot out at her. It didn't hurt, but a golden glow wrapped around her for a brief moment before dissipating. She bowed once more before being tackled in a hug by her mother Bellona who walked her back into the crowd.

"Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares, and Will Solace, son of Apollo, step forward!" said Zeus, back in his Greek form for the Camp Half-Blood counselors. They both stepped forward, bowing to the gods before rising and facing them.

"Clarisse, my daughter, the council would grant you partial immortality as well, for your leadership and bravery," Ares said, joy filling his voice.

"We would do the same for you, Will," said Apollo, looking like the happiest man alive.

"I gratefully accept," they both said. With that, their parents shot a beam of energy into the respective children, and the same golden aura surrounded them before quickly leaving. Apollo and Ares both got off of their thrones to hug their children before all returned to where they were.

"Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, step forward!" yelled Zeus, and so Nico did like the others before him. Hades stepped forward.

"My son, the Olympian council, for not just your actions in this war but everything you have done for Olympus and the camps, would make you a minor god and my lieutenant in the Underworld."

Everyone laughed as Nico's jaw dropped practically hitting the floor, the shock amusingly evident on the face of the boy who seemed to never show any emotions.

"I would be honored, father," he said, kneeling in respect. Smiling, the Olympians all pointed their palms at Nico, blasting him with an assortment of colored energies before a black aura appeared around him.

"All hail Nico di Angelo, Lieutenant of the armies of the Underworld and minor god of spirits, fallen soldiers, and shadows, heir apparent of Hades!" Said Zeus to widespread applause and cheering. Nico got up before tackling his father in a hug, something everyone found amusing as the God of the Underworld was clearly not used to that sort of affection.

"Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, Frank Zhang, son of Mars, Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite, Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, and Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, step forward!" Said Jupiter, changing aspects for his son with excitement in his voice. Everyone looked at Percy, slightly hesitant, but he nudged them forward with an encouraging smile on his face. "The Olympian Council has discussed, and, for all of your accomplishments and for saving Olympus, we would like to offer each of you minor godhood."

The six in the center of attention all startled in excitement. The only person who seemed hesitant was Annabeth, looking back at Percy worriedly, but he nodded at her encouragingly. Percy, of all people, knew that his Wise Girl deserved nothing less. They all turned back to one another and nodded, smiling.

"We accept your offer," they said in unison. Once again, each of the Olympians shot a beam of light at the beloved heroes with a different colored aura appearing around each.

"All hail Leo Valdez, minor god of fire, crafts, and metals! All hail Hazel, minor god of jewels, sanctuaries, and mist! All hail Frank Zhang, minor god of animals, transformation, and sacrifice! All hail Piper McLean, minor god of natural beauty, bravery, and true love! All hail Jason Grace, minor god of the thunder, lightning, and wind! All hail Annabeth Chase, minor god of architecture, wisdom, and planning!" The throne room erupted into a thunderous applause, everyone cheering and clapping, before each of the six jumped up and hugged their respective godly parent.

"And last, but certainly not least, step forward Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, slayer of Kronos, bane of giants, defeater of Gaea, and hero of Olympus!" said Zeus. As I stepped forward, I looked up to my father sitting on his coral throne and couldn't help but gin at the proud tears and smile on his face. I bowed to the gods before looking up at them all, spending a minute observing each of them. All of them beamed at me, even Ares who refused to not call me a punk and Hera who hated me. "Percy, you have completed countless quests for Olympus and defeated any of its enemies that threatened. You have shown immense loyalty, courage, and selflessness," he grumbled the last part, certainly thinking when I turned down my last offer to become a god. "You have stopped civil war, helped many gods, and saved Olympus, not once, but twice! The council has thought long and hard about what to offer you, and, surprisingly enough, all agreed on this. Percy Jackson, we would offer you not only godhood, of which your domains would be heroes, tides, salvation, and loyalty, allowing you wiggle room with the Ancient Laws, but also… a spot on the Olympian Council!" Everyone in the room gasped at that, absolutely shocked. Even I my jaw dropped. _A spot on the Olympian Council! You can't be offered more than that!_ "Do you accept our offer?"

I took my time. I went around the room, looking each Olympian in the eye as they nodded at me encouragingly. I looked at my friends, each one of them looking at me with smiles bigger than Olympus itself. Lastly, I looked at Annabeth, gazing at her eyes. She looked at me and I understood exactly what she was saying: _Do it! You deserve it! Wise Girl and Seaweed Brain, together forever._ I smiled at her as a tear rolled down my cheek.

"Olympians, I am honored," I said, and they started to raise their hands. "But I must decline." The room exploded into pandemonium! The gods all dropped their jaws in shock, eyes wide and bugging out. But what got me the most was I could feel Annabeth starting to tear up behind me, so I looked back to see her with tears but a slight grin on her face as she shook her head staring at me, like she expected nothing else. It hurt, but I gave her a reassuring look.

"What?!" yelled Zeus, snapping myself and everyone else back to the moment. "You would refuse a spot on the Olympian Council?! Do you have any idea the magnitude of what you are saying!?"

I pulled out my classic lop-sided grin, slightly blushing. "I mean no disrespect, Lord Zeus, but I do not deserve this."

"Then what would you have us grant you? Just minor godhood? Immortality?" He looked a little pissed off now.

"For my gift, I would ask that Lord Hades and Lady Hestia be granted seats on the Olympian Council as they once did, instead of myself. They deserve this much." Everyone stopped at that, even more shocked than before. Not only was I denying godhood a second time but also an Olympian status, and I was giving that status to two others instead of asking anything for myself. In the background, I could even hear a few people hit the floor as they fainted. But I looked to Hestia and Hades, sitting there staring at me threatening to burst into tears of joy and gratitude. I looked up to my dad and he nodded at me, letting me know with his eyes that he couldn't be more proud. I looked back at my Wise Girl, and through the tears she smiled at me while rolling her eyes, knowing that this is exactly the kind of stupid crap I would pull.

"Are you sure about this, nephew? Do you not want anything for yourself?" Zeus asked.

"I am sure, Lord Zeus."

"Very well," he said and snapped his fingers as two thrones appeared, a small wooden but fiery one at the end closest to the hearth and another black one speckled with jewels between my dad and Athena. At this, Hestia couldn't hold it any longer and jumped up to hug me with tears coming out of her eyes faster than a river.

"Thank you, Percy! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Our family is finally complete again," she whispered in my ear, gasping for breath between sobs.

Hades walked up too, standing there for a moment like he didn't know what to do, and then he actually hugged me too! Everyone was shocked, Hades never hugs anybody, but I just hugged him back with a grin. "Thank you, nephew. I can never repay you for this."

With that, the two of them walked to their thrones, and as they sat down everyone could feel the surge of energy. The energy from having a throne, having a place, having a family reunited.

Before I could walk back, "Does anyone deny that my son deserves some reward? Shall we at least grant him partial immortality? Anybody?" my dad asked the room. Everyone shook their heads, agreeing. "Therefore, on behalf of the Olympian Council, I would like to present to you, Percy Jackson, my son, with partial immortality." And so he blasted me with some water-like energy, my golden aura glowed, and I became partially immortal.

I walked back to my friends after giving my dad a hug, only to be met with a slap to the face immediately followed by a kiss from Annabeth. Everyone giggled over their favorite celebrity couple, especially Aphrodite, but I couldn't help and blush. Immortality with my Wise Girl, it doesn't get much better than this.

"With that finished, let the victory celebrations begin!" declared Zeus.

**3 Months Later (Current Time)**

I was shaken out of my thoughts by a something hitting me upside the head.

"OW! What the…" I looked up to see Annabeth glaring at me.

"Seaweed Brain, what are you doing up? It's the middle of the night!"

I shrugged, "Couldn't sleep." I gave her my signature crooked grin, knowing she would break and sit down with me, which she did. She fell onto my lap, kissing me on the cheek and snuggling up with me as I put my arms around her, holding her as close to me as possible.

"I figured you'd be here. Nightmares again?" She asked.

"You could say that."

"You need to find a way past this, you know. Everyone's worried about you, even my mom mentioned it to me, and you know you have a problem when she's worried about a kid of Poseidon."

I rolled my eyes at that. "I know, I j-just…" I trailed off, unsure what to say.

"Just what?" She looked at me seriously with a concerned glare.

"I'm just scared."

"Scared of what?"

"I don't know. I guess, I've been fighting non-stop for so long that I don't know what to do now that it's peaceful. Nothing lurking behind the corner. And now that I have time, I can't stop thinking about everything that's happened. I just keep seeing faces and hearing screams… I'm scared of not expecting something to happen." A single tear fell down my cheek, but Annabeth quickly saw it and wiped it away.

"Your head is so full of kelp," she said while rolling her eyes. "Only you would have a problem with having no problems."

"I guess you're right," I replied unconvincingly. She just shook her head but knew me better than that.

"Just don't do anything stupid, okay? And don't go leaving me again."

"I would never Wise Girl," I said with mock insult as I kissed her forehead, but I could already feel her breathing evening out as she felled asleep. I just looked out into the distance, picking out the horizon where I could just start to see the tiniest hint of the sun rising.

**Unknown POV**

Far away, an image was being shown of the ceremony and celebration. Then the image showed Camp Half-Blood, and a black haired boy moping around. Then, it was on that boy sitting on the beach under a storm with a blond girl asleep in his arms as he gazed out into the distance. Two pairs of eyes watched, surrounded by darkness.

"He is quite the interesting one. To deny godhood, let alone Olympian status…"

"Yes, yes he is."

"It won't be a problem though."

"No, no it won't…"


	2. Here We Go Again

**Hey guys, hope you like this! Also, thanks for reading this. I didn't expect that many people to read the first chapter already so it's really awesome to see those favs and follows go up! Also, because I forgot this last time, I don't own any of these characters and they all belong to Uncle Rick, the only thing I kind of own is the plot. Please leave any suggestions for me in the comments, and enjoy!**

Chapter 2

**Annabeth POV**

I was lying on a beach, the sun shining down warming my skin. I was wearing a yellow bathing suit reading a book on classical architecture, but I looked up from it to watch Percy come out of the water walking up to me showing off his unblemished, muscular frame.

"Hey Wise Girl," he said. I blushed.

"Hey Seaweed Brain," I got up and gave him a quick kiss.

"Let's go for a walk," he said with his cute lopsided grin with a hint of mischief in his sea-green eyes.

"Where?"

With that, he just grinned even more and pulled me closer. Before I knew it, I felt water splash me in the back and we were swimming through the depths and jumping over waves. I laughed giddily as he smirked at me. Eventually, we came to a stop suddenly in our little spot at the bottom of Camp Half-Blood Lake, an air bubble around us. It was beautiful, the water was more clear and bright, and fish and even a dolphin swam by. He looked down at me, grinning.

"Annabeth, you are the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know what I would do without you, I mean…" he rambled on for a bit but I wasn't entirely listening, I was just staring at his eyes, filled with mirth and love. Then, suddenly, he got down on one knee and brought something out from his pocket, a beautiful ring with a simple sparkling diamond and the words _Wise Girl & Seaweed Brain Forever_ ingrained on it. "Annabeth Elizabeth Chase, will you marry me?"

I screamed in delight, nodding because, for once in my life, I couldn't speak and tears of joy ran down my face. He put the ring on, stood up, and wrapped his arms around me.

"Wise Girl, I love you." I blushed. This was the dream.

"I love you too, Seaweed Brain." With that I closed my eyes and leaned in for a kiss. I felt our lips just barely brush against each other, a quick jolt of electricity between the two of us, before everything went to shit.

I jolted awake. The ground was rumbling, easily a 7.0 magnitude earthquake at least. I looked around the cabin at my half-siblings **(all of The Seven who became gods still stayed at one of the camps because they were a part of our domain)**, everyone was awake and looking scared. Suddenly, a beam fell from the roof and two windows broke letting in pouring rain, showering and cutting a little girl named Beth.

"Everyone out!" I screamed. We all rushed out of the cabin, only to see other cabins doing the same thing. Everyone looked terrified. It was pouring, the ground was shaking, cracks were splitting open the Earth, and the winds were picking up to dangerous speeds as a hurricane blew above us spewing out lightning. Suddenly, the Hermes and Aphrodite cabins collapsed, which were then followed by the Hecate, Hercules, and my own cabin behind me. The Dionysus and Iris cabins were struck by lightning and caught fire.

"Everyone to the Big House!" I shouted above the noise. Everyone rushed there in a panic, and I was looking around to make sure everyone got there when I realized something. _Where's Percy?! Oh no…_

I rushed to the Poseidon cabin and flung open the door. I ran up to Percy's bed and found him violently shaking, clearly in some sort of nightmare.

"PERCY! WAKE UP! YOU'RE DESTROYING THE CAMP!" I tried shaking him awake, even slapping him, but he just continued to toss and turn, contorting his face as if he was in some sort of immense pain. I was about to try something else when a beam fell from the roof, hitting me on the head and trapping me on the ground as I let out a fear-filled ear-splitting scream. All I saw was his eyes, filled with fear and hurt, before everything went black.

**Percy POV**

I was back in Tartarus. My skin felt like it was boiling as huge, red welts covered it. I could barely breathe, and my lungs felt like they were filled with smoke. I was tired, but I kept swinging my sword at the monsters surrounding me, just trying to get to her.

I could see her, covered in cuts and bruises, in chains what only seemed about 10 yards away, but I couldn't get any closer. Tears filled her eyes.

"ANNABETH!" I screamed.

"You can't save her, Perseus Jackson," a red figure said standing behind her. He whipped her back again, then poured magma on her legs as she screamed and writher in pain. This man IS Tartarus, the physical embodiment of evil, pain, and torture.

"You can't save her, Percy. Just like you couldn't save us," a chorus of voices said as shadowy figures appeared around her. Their faces kept changing, but I recognized every single one. I saw Zoe, Luke, Ethan, Silena, Charles, Bob, Bianca, Castor, Damasen, Lee, Michael, and others. They all had tears in their eyes but they brimmed with hatred and anger towards me. I just kept going, slicing through the bodies and golden dust, but tears poured out of my reddened eyes.

"I tried to…" I cried.

"And you failed."

At that, I broke down. I collapsed onto my knees, head in my hands. "I tried…" I cried, trying to convince myself. I just sat there, crying, hearing scream after scream from Annabeth as Tartarus continued to torture her. My emotions poured out of me, whipping the wind and shaking the ground, but then there was one last scream, soul piercing, more real than anything I had heard so far…

**Linebreak**

It was daybreak by the time I walked out of my cabin carrying an unconscious Annabeth. Looking around, I could see camp was in ruins and everyone was already out, searching through the destroyed cabins for their belongings. I let the tears roll down my face. _'This is all my fault'_ I thought, shaking my head. I walked to the infirmary, ignoring the stares and looks of fear on the campers surrounding me. Chiron met me there, only giving me a grim nod before opening the door and letting me in.

Inside, the infirmary beds were packed. Broken bones were clearly visible, some had burn marks on them, and one kid in the back wasn't even recognizable due to all of the cuts and bruises covering his body. _This is all my fault._ I laid Annabeth softly onto a bed before sprinting back to my cabin, using all of my energy to prevent tears from flooding my eyes so that no one saw.

I opened the door to my cabin and just collapsed onto the floor, letting all of my emotions out. I let out a guttural, heart-wrenching scream between the sobs. _This is all my fault._ I took a moment to collect myself, and got to work immediately. I grabbed my bag from under my bed, threw in a few shirts and jeans, a pouch of drachmas, some snack bars, and anything else I thought might be of value. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Chiron and Aunt Hestia walked in. They noticed what I was doing and looked at me worriedly. Chiron walked up and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Percy, what are you doing?" he asked. I snorted.

"What does it look like? I'm leaving," I responded. Aunt Hestia put a hand on the small of my back, looking at me concernedly.

"Percy, are you sure you want to do this? What about Annabeth, she'll be distraught," she said. That broke me down into tears once more, and Hestia just pulled me into a hug until her warmth calmed me down.

"I don't want to go," I stuttered between sobs. "But I need to! I'm not in control of myself anymore! All I had was a nightmare and I nearly destroyed the entire camp! I don't want to leave her, I really don't, you both know that, but I can't live with myself if I hurt her or anyone else. I know she's a goddess now, but not everyone else is and I can't see her like that. I need to find something, a purpose or peace or something, I don't know, but I can't stay here like this," I cried into her shoulder. "And don't even argue, you both know I'm right whether you'll admit it or not." I pulled away only to look into their sad eyes, like the kind of look my mom would give me when she came home to see my broken arm from Gabe back in 4th grade.

"Where will you go?" Chiron asked.

"I don't know… I'm a demigod, I'll just follow the signs." He pulled me into a hug quickly before putting his hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes.

"Be careful my boy. And don't worry about everyone else, just find it in yourself to heal so you can come back to your family," he said. With that, he walked out, only glancing back nervously before heading to the Big House, leaving me and Hestia there.

"You know Annabeth will be distraught that you're gone. She doesn't want to lose you, especially since Hera pulled her little stunt…" Hestia said. I chuckled at that, wiping away any remaining tears.

"Aunt Hestia, can you do me a favor or two?"

"Of course. Anything for my favorite nephew," she said with the best smile she could give me, no matter how unconvincing it was.

**Linebreak**

15 minutes later, I had my backpack on and had scribbled a quick note to Annabeth leaving a necklace on it with the matching pair was around my neck.

"Aunt Hestia, I'm ready. Can you flash me to my mom's place so no one else sees me leave? I need to say good-bye."

"Of course." With that, she put her hand on my shoulder and we flashed to my mom's front yard.

"Thanks Aunt Hestia," I said.

"Of course, Percy. Just be safe," she replied. With that she flashed away.

I braced myself before I went in, knowing my mom was not going to take this well. _'Well, here goes nothing'_ I thought. I took a deep breath, walked in, and my eyes immediately widened.

"MOM?!"

**Poseidon POV**

When Zeus rumbled the skies for an emergency council meeting, I knew exactly what we were going to talk about. I had felt the disturbance in my domain at Camp Half-Blood this morning and the sheer amount of power there honestly scared me. I don't know what happened, but I knew it wasn't going to be good and I knew that Zeus and the other Olympians felt the same. I flashed to my throne, the last one to get there. I looked around and saw everyone was worried by the look on Zeus' face. Do I dare say he looked… frightened?

"This council session has begun!" he thundered, smashing his master bolt on the armrest of his throne. "This morning, there was a large disturbance in mine, Poseidon's, and Hades' domains at Camp Half-Blood, and from the looks on your faces, I'm assuming that others felt this power as well. It was a… massive burst of power and strength, and the camp is currently in ruins." An Iris image of Camp Half-Blood appeared showing the devastation, and everyone gasped in shock. "Does anybody know what happened?"

"I do." Everyone spun their heads to Hestia, our faces begging her to continue.

"Do continue, Aunt Hestia," said Athena.

"It was Percy," she replied. Everyone's eyes, including mine, went wide and our jaws dropped.

"Are you accusing my son of destroying camp?!" I roared.

"I am not trying to accuse your son of anything, brother. You should know better, he is my favorite nephew after all." At that, I quickly looked at my feet in embarrassment, though I stifled a chuckle at the jokingly pained looks on Apollo and Hermes' faces.

"I am sorry Hestia, please, continue," I said.

"Thank you. Last night, Percy was having a nightmare and, through that, lost control of his powers and unleashed them." Everyone shivered, even Zeus.

"Are you saying that Perseus… did all of this… just from a nightmare?" said Hera, beckoning to the image shown. We all took another look and shuddered again. Most of the cabins and building were destroyed, there were cracks in the ground, the last breaths of fires were still crackling, and large swaths of the camp were flooded. We were all amazed and slightly scared, even Zeus, at the pure destruction my son caused just from a nightmare.

"Yes he did," Hestia simply stated.

"He must come to Olympus now. Do you know where he is?" said Zeus.

"He left camp this morning, worried that he would hurt everyone there. He said that he needed to find some peace for himself before he could come back. By now, knowing him, he is long gone. He knows our world well enough, he won't be found unless he wants us to find him," she replied.

"But what about Percabeth?!" Aphrodite wailed, "Olympus' favorite ship can't end! What will the gossip magazine's cover then?!" Everyone rolled their eyes but shared a little bit of her worry. Everyone did secretly love the couple, despite how much Athena and I fought over it.

"Enough!" Zeus thundered, "He must come to Olympus, so that-" He was cut off my Apollo suddenly writhing and seizing, his eyes turning rolling into his head a black smoke billowing out of his mouth. Everyone gasped. '_Oh god, another great prophecy. Not now,'_ everyone thought. Then Apollo spoke…

"_The lost hero's rage unmatched by all,_

_Fury allow Olympus to stand or fall,_

_Blessed by gods, cursed to war,_

_Feared by monsters, sworn to the poor,_

_Ancient enemies gone from their graves,_

_Creation and destruction for those he saves,_

_A defender's light, a soul cracked in two,_

_A child's cry to bring forth the new,_

_All tribes flock to him, his conquest undone,_

_The symbol of destruction to decide if the battle be won."_

Everyone took a moment to take it in, many had faces of nervousness and dread. In the last two years, we had already fought two wars, no one except maybe Ares wanted another. It was Athena who broke the silence…

"Although this prophecy clearly spells out lots of pain, I think that we can be hopeful considering it is clearly talking about Perseus and he has proven to be loyal to Olympus-"

"Enough!" Zeus broke her off, but I still gave her a thankful nod which she returned. "We must find the boy! Hestia, where is the last place you saw him?!"

"I told him that I wouldn't reveal any-" Hestia started but Zeus cut her off.

"I don't care what you promised him! We need him here now! Now, I won't ask again, where did you see him last?" He glared at her with rage and a little bit of… fear? But the warning was clear in his voice.

Hestia hesitated, her inner turmoil apparent.

"Sister, please, help me find my son, he may be in danger and I know you care about him…" I trailed off. She gave me a sorrowful look before continuing.

"I am sorry but I cannot say. I swore a promise and I keep my promises, unlike some people in this room." Everyone looked at their feet after that, feeling the steel in her voice. No matter how kind Hestia was, everyone knew that when she was determined or angered you should back off. She continued, "Also, I believe, according to this prophecy, that he shouldn't be found for some time. If it is indeed about Perseus, it says he is a lost hero, and being gone for just a morning certainly does not count as lost." Zeus glared at her with that, she provoked his pride as King of the Gods, and that was never a good thing.

"Artemis, you and your hunters will search for him. He is your number one priority until he is found. Hera, the same goes for your Amazons. Hermes, alert both camps, ask for any clues as to where he is gone and order them to organize search parties. Poseidon, you will go to his mother's house and ask if she has seen him. Everyone else will do what they can. Hestia, I will deal with you later." Everyone paused, startled at the calm coldness in his voice before he shocked them out of their stupor. "NOW GO!" And with that said, we all flashed out to our posts, myself to Sally's house.

I steeled myself, knowing that this would be both awkward and a scary experience. If Sally got mad about her son being lost and in danger, nothing would stop her from tearing Olympus apart. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. I waited for a few minutes, but no one answered. I knocked again but no one answered. Suspicious, I opened the door and walked into the kitchen. My eyes widened.

"Sally…?"


	3. The Race Begins

**Hey everyone, I'm really sorry it's been so long since I posted, just been really busy. Also this one is a little shorter but don't worry I should have more on the way quickly. Please leave comments about what you like, don't like, anything. Please do that because it really helps me organize my thoughts and be motivated to actually write because it means that people are paying attention. Also, I'm sorry if any of the text or anything is weird, I had to switch the application I was using to write on part ways through this story and I can't really tell if its gonna affect anything like that. Anyways, of course Uncle Rick owns PJO, not me, and please enjoy!**

Chapter 3

**Percy POV**

"MOM?!" My eyes were so wide and my jaw dropped so low it threatened to break apart my face.

"Percy…" my mom groaned, trying to say more if it wasn't for the hand around her throat. I looked to who was holding her and I instantly recognized the monster, and my hatred flared up inside me. I took a step forward and moved to take out Riptide but then she spoke…

"Nuh uh uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you, Perseus," spoak Echidna, mother of monsters. She pointed to the other side of the room and my eyes opened even wider in horror. Two empousai held Paul, my step-dad, who was kneeling on the ground. Though I saw a flutter in his eyelids, I think he was unconscious. _Thank the gods._ The Minotaur was next to them, looking like he wanted nothing more than to charge and kill me, which he probably did considering all the beef we had (ba dum tss). But the next thing to catch my eyes really scared me. Walking up to Echidna as she pet his mane was the chimera with his mouth open holding Estelle, my 4 month old baby sister, in his jaws. Thankfully, she looked unharmed and asleep.

"You dare threaten _my_ family?" I asked in a scarily calm and steeled voice, the venomous promise of revenge clear. I glared at Echidna with such intensity even Zeus would be scared, but Echidna just laughed mockingly.

"Yes, yes I do, Perseus," she spat at me, "But I have a proposition… and before you consider attacking, yes, you would be able to kill us all, but not unless you want your family to die first. Make one move and my Sonny here will have no regrets making your little sister breakfast." She smiled at me only intensifying my anger, but I knew she was right. _I can't save them, at least all of them unless I talk._

"What do you want?" I spat back. She only smiled even more.

"You have many enemies, young Perseus, who wish to see you suffer. I am willing to let your family go, I will even swear it on the river Styx, if you simply hand over your weapons and come with me." Even someone as dumb as me could figure out what that meant, they wanted to torture me or something similar. I started to think of some sort of plan but then I looked into my mom's eyes seeing the fear and dread there, instantly causing me to make up my mind.

"Fine, but swear on the Styx that you won't harm them if I come with."

"I, Echidna, mother of monsters, swear on the Styx that we shall not harm your family if you come and stay with us without resistance." She smirked as thunder rumbled. I understood that this meant I had to stay with them, but I didn't have a choice.

"Fine," I spat. I threw Riptide and a few knives at Echidna's feet. Echidna motioned to the Minotaur and he grudgingly walked over and put me in celestial bronze chains, obviously pissed off that he couldn't just kill me. With that, they all dropped who they were holding, and my mom immediately went to grab Estelle, cradling her as my sister woke up and began to cry. Then she looked up at me, tears in both of our eyes.

"I love you mom…" I croaked. Before I could say anymore, a hole opened up in the ground beneath us and I fell into Tartarus in chains, the last thing I hear my mom's fading cries…

"PERCYYYY…!"

**Poseidon POV**

"Sally…?" I gasped horried. In front of me was Sally kneeling on the ground crying, clutching her baby. I could see Paul passed out in the corner but I didn't pay him another thought, I only saw Sally in pain. She looked up at me and only started to cry even more. I rushed to her only to bounce off of some invisible barrier. I tried again but to no avail, so I started attacking the barrier with my trident but still I couldn't get through. Finally, I fell to my knees in dread.

"Sally… what happened here?" I asked. She sniffled, wiping back her tears so that she could answer.

"P-Percy was ta-taken…" she replied. Tears started to form in my eyes but then rage bubbled up.

"Explain to me, _everything_," I said in a cold voice.

"E-Echidna came, she w-was expecting him," she sobbed. "They threatened u-us and made P-Percy leave with them in c-chains." I couldn't hold back any longer and tears started to freely run down my face as I sat there for some time taking it all in. _My son, my FAVORITE son, is gone…_

"I m-must go tell Olympus immediately…" I got ready to flash out.

"WAIT! YOU CAN'T!" she screamed. I looked at her, even more troubled and concerned than before. I knew Sally, knew she would tear down the world for her, our, son, so I knew something must be wrong if even she didn't want to search for him.

"Why?"

"She said that if we searched for him or got Olympian help, she would know… and kill him and us…" she started to cry again but quickly regained her composure. "It's why you can't come near me, she put some sort of spell on us so that we cannot be too near the presence of a god. She made us swear on the S-Styx that we wouldn't get any h-help from Olympus, so even if we tried we would d-die."

"But-" 

"NO BUTS!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face even harder now. "You n-need to swear to me, on the Styx, that y-you won't tell the Olympian council." She looked at me, pleading with her eyes. "I can't lose them, Poseidon, I just can't. Percy's strong... he always finds his way home. For Percy… for me…" she sobbed. I didn't want to, but I knew I had no choice if I was going to keep her safe. I had to do absolutely nothing, for her and for Percy. No matter how many years it's been since we were together, I still felt that same love for her, albeit somewhat duller. She, and only she, had that effect on me.

"I swear it on the Styx," thunder rumbled, affirming the oath. I spent the next hour there, on my knees with tears cascading down my cheeks, before I mustered the energy and flashed back home.

**Annabeth POV**

I couldn't get out of bed. It had been a month since Percy went missing and all I could do was clutch the necklace he gave me and reread the note he left for the millionth time…

'_Hey Wise Girl,_

_ Look, I'm sorry for leaving all of a sudden, I'm sorry for leaving you, but I need to. I can't live with myself if something like this happens again and I hurt the campers, my family, and especially you. I know you're a goddess now and you can protect yourself, but not everyone here is. And I know you're going to say something like "Why don't we just leave camp?" but you know me better than that. Seeing you unconscious because of something I did broke something in me. I wouldn't be able to recover. I keep seeing their faces, I feel like I failed them even though everyone says I didn't. I know you're going to tell me that I didn't fail and I saved so many and bla bla bla, but you know me better than that. I need to find something, a purpose, a calling, peace, anything, before I can let myself risk coming home._

_ I know you're going to worry for me, but I ask, for my sake, that you don't. I have this same necklace with me, and it's so you know that I'm always with you. As long as the symbols continue to glow, you will know that I am alive and thinking of you. I always am. I love you more than anything Wise Girl, and I wish I could say more but I need to go. I will return to you and never leave again, just please give me some time to heal so that WE can be happy. I love you._

_ -Your Seaweed Brain forever and always'_

I gaze at the necklace. It's simple but absolutely beautiful, a silver string with a golden heart locket engrained with a glowing owl and trident containing a picture of us on the beach kissing in front of a gorgeous sunset. We don't know who took the picture or when exactly it was taken, we had found it in one of the Olympian gossip magazines that Aphrodite ran, but it quickly became one of our favorites. It was one of those few moments where we were truly happy, not because of anything special, but because we were just together, peacefully, and it seemed like nothing in the whole world could stand between us.

I stared at it for what seemed like hours, mesmerized by the glow of the owl and trident. _'Where is he? Is he okay? Gods I am going to give him a piece of my mind when he gets back… if he gets back. Annabeth, stop thinking like that! He's coming back! He promised!'_ Tears started to roll down my eyes at my thoughts, but they were stopped by a sight causing my heart to stop for a moment as I let out a shriek.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH," I screamed loud enough for the entire camp to hear. Instantly, several of my half-siblings along with Chiron ran into the cabin. They looked around and then gazed at me worriedly as they spotted me on my bed sobbing.

"Annabeth, what's wrong?!" Malcolm asked. I didn't, couldn't, say anything. I just held up the necklace to them as they all gasped. The glow from the symbols had started to flicker and almost completely fade, and they all knew what that meant. Percy is dead or dying. Chiron was the one who snapped out of it with a worried tone that scared all of us.

"Malcolm, gather everyone and organize more search parties immediately! Ellie, Iris Message Reyna at Camp Jupiter and tell her the same thing. I will alert Mr. D and the Olympians," he commanded, knocking us out of our stupor and everyone rushed off except for Sofie and Georgie who stayed to comfort the mess that was me crying into my pillows.

**Dionysus POV**

I immediately flashed to Olympus after what Chiron told me. As much as I didn't like the boy, the prophecy scared me and it was pretty obvious we needed him. _Stupid, annoying, ungrateful, no-good brat. _I slammed my fist on my throne and everyone else flashed in, annoyingly all looking bewildered at me for calling an emergency council meeting of all people.

"Dionysus, what is the meaning of this meeting?" Zeus asked me skeptically.

"It's about the boy, Perry Johnson," I replied. They all looked annoyed.

"You mean Percy Jackson?" Athena glared at me.

"Yes, yes, that's the one, whatever his name is," I grumbled," Anyways, the necklace he left for Anniebell Chuck is supposed to glow while he lives and about 15 minutes ago it started to flicker and almost fade, meaning his life is draining away. The camps are already organizing more search parties." Everyone gasped, looking shocked and worried. Poseidon looked like he was about to break down. Zeus broke the momentary silent panic.

"It is unnaceptable that he hasn't been found! I want everyone to double their efforts! The boy is too powerful to fall into anyone elses hands! Hermes, summon the girl here so we can monitor the necklace! He is already our number one target, but, dead or alive, HE. MUST. BE. FOUND. NOW!" he thundered. Everyone immediately flashed out to do as they were told. The race for Percy Jackson's life had begun, and, even though many of them couldn't care less whether he lived or not, they sure as hell weren't going to lose.

**Unknown POV**

"They finally got him," an ominous, masculine voice resounded, "Now they just need to do what they were told."

"They are going to underestimate the boy," another equally ominous, feminine voice replied, "They need to eliminate him swiftly."

"You know as well as I that they won't. And we cannot reveal ourselves and come here in our actual bodies, not if we are going to regain our strength in time," said the masculine voice.

They two pairs of eyes studied the black-haired boy in front of them, examining coldy the broken, sea-green eyes in front of them.

"Perseus Jackson...," the feminine voice said. "What an... _interesting _creature..." And with that, the two pairs of eyes dissolved into pitch black darkness.


	4. Algea

**Hey everyone, hope you enjoy! Found a good rhythm too so I should start posting more. As always, I don't own PJO or HOO, Uncle Rick does. Please review and let me know what you think! Also, read the message I'm leaving at the bottom.**

**Chapter 4**

**Percy Jackson POV**

"Perseus Jackson… what an… _interesting_ creature…"

The ominousness in that cold, chilling, feminine voice brought me to my senses, or so I hoped. It was so dark in the room that I forced myself to blink a few times just to make sure my eyes weren't closed. They weren't. _Ahhh shiiiiiit._ Complete darkness is never a good thing when you're a demigod, and the sweltering heat in the room didn't help. I could feel beads of sweat dripping from my face, yet I didn't hear them hit any sort of surface below me as I was hanging from cold chains by my wrists and ankles that felt like they were clawing at my very soul trying to rip it to shreds.

I battled with my mind to remember what happened. _Destroying camp… Annabeth and Hestia… MOM! ESTELLE! PAUL... falling… oh shit…_. As it came back to me crashing my memories like a wave, I realized how screwed I was. In the world of the gods, falling into darkness with Echidna, the Minotaur, and the Chimera only led to one horrible, nightmare-defying, mind-numbingly painful place. Tartarus. A place I had already been before and would rather die than be back in in a million years. And so I did the only logical thing at the moment.

I panicked. (Hey don't look at me, like you would've done any better) I thrashed against the chains, screamed despite my hoarse throat, and just all around went into a craze trying to get free. That is, until a door opened in front of me blinding me with light and knocking me out of my haze.

As I blinked away the spots in my vision, I finally saw where I was. The room was about 50 feet by 50 feet. Around me were black, uneven, stoned walls with what looked like black tar oozing out of cracks in the façade. Above me stalactites menacingly pointed down at me, black as the void yet still shining an ethereal glow. But it was below me that scared me. The floor was black ice so cold that I could see little bumps where my sweat had instantly frozen having made contact with it, despite the sweltering heat of the air. The chains holding me in the air showed themselves to be made of stygian iron, which explained their cold and soul-sucking feel. A very large, and I'm talking like 40 foot tall, doorway stood right in front of me shining light into the room around the hulking, shadowy figure of someone nearly as tall the doorway with a much smaller individual to their side.

"And so the _great hero_ finally awakens," the large figure said with a chuckle.

"Who are you?" I croaked, straining to think of who that voice belonged to. It was familiar, but I didn't think I had heard it before.

"Poor little Perseus, only a few days in Tartarus and already delirious? _Tsk tsk _what a shame," said a voice I would remember until the ends of my days after what she did.

"_Echidna_," I spat. The bigger man just chuckled.

"You live up to your stubborn reputation, hero. Good, very good. Makes my job all the more fun."

"Once again," I said angrily, trying to show the deep fear in my bones that threatened to break free any second now. "Who are you?"

"We never did get a chance to meet. I am the great Leon, the mightiest of the giants, AND I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR KILLING MOTHER AND MY BROTHERS!" he roared this last part as he stepped forward so I could see him, and I won't lie, he was pretty intimidating. He was about 35 feet tall with the typical scaled legs of the giants, he wore an ancient Imperial Gold chest plate that covered heavily muscled, tan, and hairy skin, and instead of a normal humanoid head he had a lion head with a long, black mane. His eyes seemed to literally blaze in fury, as if small fires lived in his eye sockets instead of real eyes. I was honestly getting more and more scared, so I did what I did best… make a snarky comment to piss off another immortal (so I'm not the brightest bulb but hey, when you've got nearly the entire immortal Greek pantheon hating you, might as well go big when you die).

"Hey Furball, missed you on the battlefield," I said, adding my signature smirk to make his face go more red than a tomato with fury. "Don't worry, now that we've met, let me out of here and I can let you join the rest of the fam." Might as well try and get him to just kill me now, not like I have much to live for, especially if I'm going to spend the next little while here getting tortured. I just can't give them an excuse to hurt Mom, Estelle, and Paul. But before he could do this, Echidna spoke up.

"Good, Perseus, I'm loving this! Keep this up and everything will be so much more fun!" She said with a wicked grin, throwing her hands up in the air for emphasis. With this, Leon seemed to calm down and plastered an even scarier grin on his face (trust me, a grinning lion is not something you want to see!).

"Yes, Echidna is right, this will be VERY fun indeed."

I looked down and gulped. This was going to be VERY not fun, I decided. _'But hey, I've been through worse'_ I thought, trying to give myself some confidence. _'I beat whole armies by myself, I beat Kronos, and single handedly killed Gaea (yes Leo helped weaken her when he blew himself up but it was my rage when I thought she killed Annabeth that caused me to fight her one-on-one and kill her), I'd survived Tartarus before, hell I'd been defying immortals for years. These are just another few immortals to prove wrong,'_ I thought. Slowly, my fear died down, bit by bit. But then I looked up into their eyes, those horribly terrifying eyes, and all that confidence washed away like it got hit by one of my dad's tsunamis. All I could do now was pray to the Fates _'for once in your miserable lives please just let me die'_. **(Yes, this story will be going with the idea that Percy fought Gaea alone and killed her. Pretty much everything else from the actual book series is the same. Basically the difference is that Leo still blew himself up but it didn't kill Gaea, only weakened her. Also, Percy thought Annabeth died at some point in the final battle and this sent Percy into a crazy rage which is how he killed Gaea. And so instead of falling to fire, she fell to storm.)**

**Artemis POV – approximately one year after Percy disappeared**

_'Gods damn you, Perseus'_ I thought to myself. We were in yet another council meeting, in yet another discussion about Perseus, in yet another argument about whether we should care or not. A large part of the council (Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Ares, Hephaestus, and Dionysus) didn't really care about where he lived or not, they just didn't want the Jackson boy falling into enemy hands, especially with this new great prophecy. Zeus, though he hid it somewhat, was clearly hoping the boy died instead of having him come back, while Ares and Dionysus were just blatantly praying for that to happen. On the other hand, Poseidon had threatened war several times if the search stopped, Hermes and Apollo backed him. Hestia just kept looking into the fire grimacing as if she knew something (but we had long stopped trying to get information out of her, I was also suspicious that Poseidon knew more than what he was letting on but I didn't want to push him in his current state, facing his wrath was scarier than Zeus's or even Hades when he wore his helm of darkness). I wanted to find him, if not for the fact that he was probably the only decent male I knew, then because I owed him for saving me two or three times. Also, my hunt still had yet to find anything on him and it was pissing me off. _My hunt never fails! _Hades was trying to control his brothers, Aphrodite was weirdly staring off into space with a disconcerting frown, and Athena was going over a map and checklist every now and then looking up to roll her eyes at the conversation and make a comment. She didn't like the Sea Spawn, but she hated seeing her favorite daughter in her current state of affairs even more and so I more than suspected the poor boy was going to get a real ear full from Athena when he got back.

Talking about Athena's daughter, she was in a horrible state. Her hair was disheveled and stringy, her eyes sunken and red from tears, her skin was deathly pale and bony from how little she was eating, her hands bled golden ichor from where her nails dug into her skin with worry, and the dress she wore was in ruins from her constantly pulling on it in worry. She basically lived in the throne room nowadays, just sitting by the hearth on the cold marble floor, clutching her necklace in her hands, her gaze unwavering from the glow of the owl and trident on it. The conversation of the room seemed to wash right over her, the only signs of life she showed were her leaning into Aunt Hestia whenever she comforted the girl and Annabeth turning away the nectar and ambrosia she was offered until her mother ended up force feeding her.

"Honestly, why do we even care about the punk? How do we even know the prophecy is definitely about him? Just let him die, we'll be fine," said Ares, knocking me out of my thoughts. I glanced over at Annabeth to see how she took the comment, but I guess she is just used to this by now because she didn't even seem to notice. Well, we all had been talking about killing Perseus since we'd known about him so that's not entirely surprising.

"I agree, just forget about Perry," said Dionysus in one of his rare remarks. Somewhat surprisingly, it was Athena who responded in defense of Perseus.

"If you actually thought about it you imbecilic morons, it would be pretty obvious. Apollo, repeat the prophecy." My twin cleared his throat before reciting the prophecy again.

"_The lost hero's rage unmatched by all,_

_Fury allow Olympus to stand or fall,_

_Blessed by gods, cursed to war,_

_Feared by monsters, sworn to the poor,_

_Ancient enemies gone from their graves,_

_Creation and destruction for those he saves,_

_A defender's light, a soul cracked in two,_

_A child's cry to bring forth the new,_

_All tribes flock to him, his conquest undone,_

_The symbol of destruction to decide if the battle be won._"

"Okay, besides the fact that the last six biggest prophecies in as many years have all been about him, and the fact that the Fates seem to love making us rely on him, he is known to have an immense rage making him very powerful, he is currently lost, and he even seems to fit the second to last line because, despite how much many of us hate him, he has an unprecedented skill in making friends and bringing people together. Does that answer your idiotic, time-wasting, moronic, mind-numbingly dumb question, _Ares?_" she spat with venom at him. Ares just tried to shrink into his throne, his face pale, and mumbled a few words that I couldn't hear but I assume Athena did because she went back to her papers with a smug look. The room was still for a moment.

"Artemis, is there anything you've found from your hunt? Where did you look last and where have you yet to look?" Zeus asked, breaking the silence.

"Infuriatingly, we've found nothing. Pretty much the only place left to look is the Underworld," I replied, looking at Hades pointedly.

"Don't look at me, he's not there, if he was he would be dead and the necklace is still glowing and his soul has not entered," he replied coolly," Although, I am still unable to access Tartarus at the moment..." We all had grim expressions at that. Since the Giant War a little over a year ago, Tartarus had been locked off which was never a good sign. If Perseus was there… well, no one wanted to think about it.

"Well, the satyr's empathy link is useless, there are no signs of his aura or smell, practically the entire mythological world has been searched and no one has seen or heard from him, there's really nothing else that we can do," I mumbled the last part, enraged and embarrassed in failure.

"Aaaawww is little Arty annoyed that her hunt failed t-" I cut off Apollo with an arrow so close to where he doesn't shine, he immediately shut up for once in his miserable, immortal life.

"Maybe you should try hunting him! You would need nothing short of a miracle to find him, or some giant, unexplainable event that could only have been caused by him to find him. But even then your fun-fried brain would be too stupid to understand what you were doing!" I screamed in frustration.

"That is enough you two!" Zeus yelled, slamming his master bolt into his armrest, which is when everything went haywire. The ground started to shake, thunder rumbled in the clouds, and winds picked up into hurricane speeds. "POSEIDON!"

"THIS ISN'T ME!" my uncle yelled back over the noise. As everything got worse, we all looked at one another trying to place the blame on someone, but everyone was just as clueless as everyone else. I sent my mind into my aspect driving the moon chariot, and what I saw astonished me. Looking down from the moon, it looked as if the entire world was shaking under one earthquake, opening miles wide chasms. Massive storms pounded the earth with rain, hail, lightning, and anything else possible. Tsunamis covered the seas sinking islands and flooding coastal cities. Volcanoes erupted covering large swathes of land in magma and smoke. It looked like the end of the world, but 10 minutes later, it all stopped as quickly as it had started. I sent my consciousness back into the throne to figure out what the Chaos was going on.

I got back only to see cracks in the floor, pieces of rubble from the ceiling on the ground, and everyone standing around the hearth in various degrees of disarray. They all looked at me as I came back and I immediately described what I saw.

"This is not go-" Zeus was cut off by a gasp from Hades.

"Tartarus has opened up again! But I don't sense Tartarus himself anywhere!" Hades said. Everyone immediately started talking over one another until we were stopped by a heartbreaking screech. We all turned to the noise, and immediately gained solemn faces as horror and understanding began to piece together in our minds.

**Annabeth POV**

'_NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING! YOU PROMISED! NO! NO! NO!' _All of these thoughts raced through my mind at once, tears forming in my eyes, but all I could do was stare. Stare at the little symbols that had stopped glowing…

I let out a screech in horror and sorrow, anger and pain. The Olympians all turned to me with pity in their eyes (well, most of them) but I didn't want their pity, I just wanted Percy… _'Percy, Percy, Percy, PERCY!' _I flashed myself out of there, to get away from them. They were the reason _he_ left, they were the reason _he_ couldn't live a normal life, THEY WERE THE REASON WHY _he_ WAS DEAD! I arrived in my room in my mother's palace, I threw the necklace into the bottom drawer where I would never look at it again, and collapsed onto my bed as tears waterfall off my face. I curled up into a ball and lay there, crying, for what seemed like hours before Hypnos finally took me.

**Third Person POV**

It was complete darkness. Pitch black in this little space. The only noise was the sobs of an unseen girl. Minutes passed, but slowly, ever so slowly, the darkness started to recede to the edges of that small space. A dull, cool glow faintly radiated from a small, gold and silver object against the back wall, getting brighter and then duller, brighter and then duller, like the beat of a heart…

**OKAY! So that's finally done! First of all, please, please, please leave some sort of review or comment about the story. What you like, what you didn't, etc… helps me stay motivated. Okay, also, I'm going to focus on cranking out a few more chapters of this first, but soon I'm thinking about starting a second story or something while I work on this. Don't worry this story won't stop or be postponed, just want to get a few ideas out of my head. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Praying for Thanatos

**Hello again. Hope you enjoy! Again, I don't own PJO or HOO, Uncle Rick does. Please follow, favorite, comment, whatever! And read my author's note at the end, I think you may like it!**

**Chapter 5**

**Percy Jackson POV - the same time as the Olympian meeting**

I've been hurt a lot in my life. My scars, both literal and metaphorical, are proof of that. I've been beaten, berated, stabbed, cut, burned, choked, crushed, dipped in the Styx, swam in the Acheron, drank the Phlegethon, had my soul sliced by Kronos' scythe, watched my friends die in front of me, and so much more. Oh how I prayed I could go through all of that again just to get out of this place.

I lost all track of time so I had no idea how long I had been here: it could've been a few months or a few years for all I knew. My body was skinny and weak from a lack of food since the only nutrition I got was fire-water from the Phlegethon to heal my injuries so that the pain could keep going. Everyday I would be awoken and taken out of the cell by a group of monsters, and everyday I would be returned. It got to the point where I started to think of that cell, with its soul-sucking stygian iron chains and suffocating air, as my new home, my safe place in this hell.

Torture included everything anyone could think of, whether it was one of the giants, titans, or any of the monsters that lived down here: nearly all of them had some sort of grudge against me. The only respite I got was I never had to see Tartarus himself in person again, the first time during the Giant war had been ten times too many in my opinion so that's one thing to thanks the fates for. But that didn't save me from the pain.

Echidna liked to act like it was all some sort of psychotic class where they taught me things. Stupid things like how to drown (they especially loved this one since I'm a son of Poseidon and they figured out my natural fear of drowning early on), how to manifest my deepest fears into something that will constantly torture my thoughts, how much pain a demigod body could take before it involuntarily collapsed on itself, and how it feels to see Thanatos coming for your soul yet never reach him in the end. For once in my life I found myself wishing I could go back to middle school with Mrs. Dodds and Nancy Bobofit, something I never would've predicted in a million years.

It was a long time ago I gave up hope. They'd taken my copy of the necklace I gave Annabeth before I'd first woken up here, and I was confident I stood no chance seeing her or my family again except in my nightmares. The only hope I did have was that they would be fine without me and that my mom had gotten some security from my dad just in case my captors came back for them.

"So how are they gonna do it?" I was woken up by the discussion of some cyclops probably sent to get me for todays torture session, though I didn't bother opening my eyes or stirring. I just stayed there, resignation and defeat evident in my body, prepping myself for the coming day.

"I heard master is gonna do it himself, taking his soul," a second cyclops spoke up. I did perk up at this. '_That doesn't sound good… but hey! I can finally die!'_ I was broken out of my musings by a punch to the gut.

"Wake up, meatbag," the third cyclops grumbled. They undid my chains and dragged me out of my cell, my ability to walk on my own long since gone. The scenery went by unnoticed by me, I'd seen it thousands of times by now, until we suddenly took a different turn into a part of the pit I didn't know.

I looked up and saw a menacing castle towering over the horrid landscape. Tall, black towers imposed over everything below. Dark-stoned walls dripped black tar out of the cracks, the ground sizzling wherever a drop of the stuff fell and made contact. A moat of lava flowed around the castle, over which an obsidian drawbridge led to a spiked stygian iron portcullis. Thousands of monsters mingled around, but they stopped and eyed me with hunger and anticipation once they recognized my approach.

I was dragged across the drawbridge and into the dark halls of the castle. The inside was menacing yet beautiful. The floor was a smooth obsidian inlaid with rare jewels, and the walls were decorated by delicately carved and painted images of legendary monsters, some of whom I didn't even recognize, whose eyes seemed to follow me as I went despite them only being images.

Eventually, we came to a stop as I was thrown to the floor. I looked up from my kneeling position on the floor in a large grand hall only to have my nightmares come true. Towering in front of me, sitting on a large black throne, was the man himself, someone I would NEVER forget. The master. The king of monsters. The epitome of evil itself. Tartarus.

"Leave," he commanded the cyclops that brought. They swiftly followed their orders, but not without another kick to my gut. "Perseus Jackson," he got up and walked towards me, chuckling to himself as he spoke. "Son of Poseidon, fear of monsters, bane of titans, dread of giants, the slayer of Kronos and Gaia, the twice savior of Olympus. Oh how the mighty have fallen. It's been a long time, I hope you found the accommodations up to your… expectations." As he approached me, I could feel evil and pain rolling off of him in waves from his aura. For once, I was too stunned and scared to come back with some sort of snarky comment to piss him off more, which he actually seemed to be expecting. "No witty comeback? Bad insult? I must say, I'm disappointed. Maybe your reputation precedes you too much," he frowned, grabbing me by the hair and forcing me to look into his horrifying eyes. But that managed to shake me out of my stupor.

"Hey, Tarty, hasn't been long enough." He laughed.

"Now that's more like it!"

"I don't think you brought me here for tea and a talk, what do you want now you overgrown turd." He frowned at that.

"Your mother must've taught you better than that, that's no way to talk to your host. Though I suppose I won't be your host for much longer…" he smirked in such an evil way my whole body involuntarily shivered and tried to shrink into itself.

"So I'm finally going to die. Yay, about time. SO JUST DO IT! DO IT YOU BASTARD! GIVE MY SOUL TO THANATOS!"

"Oh, but Perseus, a person like you doesn't deserve a simple execution, a simple afterlife. This will be the execution of the century, though I'm sure you can't wait to join your friends, my traitorous son and stepson." I stood straight up at that. _'No no no no No NO NO NO! That means I'm going to be absorbed into his chestplate! No, I CAN'T go there…" _I wanted to struggle, to run and break free for the first time since I got here, but I just couldn't will my body to do it. It was like my body didn't care anymore, it just wanted everything to end. I didn't realize I was crying until I tasted the saltiness of tears in my mouth as they started to run down my face, starting as a drizzle and turning into a downpour, though I didn't make any noise. "The tears are good Perseus, I'm sure the audience will love it! Now, we have a schedule to keep so we must get moving." He grabbed my shoulder, immense pain going through my whole body at the touch, and he flashed us to another area of the pit.

I opened my eyes to find myself chained to the ground in a place all too familiar. We were in the heart of tartarus, where Annabeth and I had escaped through the Doors of Death, though there were no doors here now. We were on a flat rock, raised above the rest of the area, which in turn was filled with monsters, thousands of them, growling for blood, my blood. Despite the situation, all I could think was _'Wow, I'm a popular guy in the pit'_.

"MONSTERS OF THE PIT!" Tartarus addressed the crowd, and they quieted down for the most part. "Today we have the execution of the _great_ son of Poseidon, PERSEUS JACKSON!" _'10 points for theatrics. Zeus and him should have a competition some time.'_ I perked up at the next part though. "The time comes near! Our allies have nearly risen! The world will burn, and we will feast upon the surface!" _'No, no no no no… that doesn't sound good. I need to do something. NOW!'_ But my body still wouldn't respond to my commands, the fear radiating off of Tartarus freezing me to my core. "And now the time has come to rid the Olympians of their weapon!" He turned to me as the monsters roared, screeched, yelled, etc… I guess their version of applause. He saw my expression as he hefted his sword onto his shoulder and chuckled, "Yes, Perseus, your death will mark the beginning of a new age. Your titles are not for naught, you are the only thing standing between us and victory, but you won't be able to see it. The surface will burn, and yes, and I will personally see to your friends… your family…" and he raised his hand to show me something that made my heart skip a beat. He was holding the my copy of the necklace I gave Annabeth. "…and your precious _girlfriend_," he spat as he crushed the locket in his hand. Time seemed to stop for a moment, it felt like my soul had been ripped right out of my body. _'That's too far' _ was all I could think. And then something snapped, and I felt free.

I could feel the ground below, no actually it was the earth as a whole. I felt the five rivers of the underworld flowing through the pit. I felt the heartbeat of every creature in the pit. I could feel the lava spouting from the terrain. There was no tug in my gut, no struggle, no confusion, I just felt… everything.

Everything started to shake, an earthquake far greater than anything recorded in history. Stalactites broke off of the ceiling miles above and started raining down on the crowd. Hills burst open, spewing geysers of lava and ash. Monsters rose into the air, struggling to breathe and bursting into gold dust as I controlled the blood in their bodies. Before, when trying to control the rivers of the Underworld, they always seemed to resist and I would struggle to do the simplest things, but now I could feel them like an extension of my body. They burst through the floor of the cavern, all five of them, wreaking havoc. There was no moisture in the air in Tartarus, so above me a hurricane big enough to cover as far as the eye could see in every direction formed, made up of the rivers, bringing down ice, hail, and shredding winds. Tornadoes formed with the wind, slicing monsters with the sharp ice spikes swirling around them. With one giant roar, I broke my chains and the destruction increased in intensity. I didn't control it, I couldn't. It just followed my desire, my one desire at the moment. Destroy everything.

"YOU DARE?!" Tartarus yelled above deafening noise, rising from where I had knocked him onto the ground. I turned to him, and as I felt my anger rise, so did the chaos. My aura poured off of me like a tsunami, my eyes glowed with power, and as I rose above him using a tornado of water and lava, I managed to laugh. A horrid laugh, the kind my friends said I did whenever I was in battle, bloodlust coming over me. And I laughed even harder as I saw him actually look scared, my laugh echoing over the pit despite all the other noise. The whipping of the wind, the thunder of lightning emanating from my hurricane, the roar of the ground shaking, and the screams of hundreds if not thousands of monsters around us.

"I DARE?!" I roared, my voice reverberating with power. "YOU THREATENED MY FRIENDS AND MY FAMILY! YOU TORTURED AND PLANNED TO KILL ME! YOU SHOULD BE SCARED, TARTARUS! HUNDREDS OF MONSTERS, TITANS, GIANTS, EVEN KRONOS AND GAIA ALL MADE THAT THREAT, AND I KILLED THEM ALL! MY NAME MEANS THE DESTROYER, AND I WILL LIVE UP TO IT! BY FINISHING YOU NEXT!" With that, I lunged at him, having made an ice sword out of the waters from the rivers, even the Phlegethon. He lifted his sword to block in time, but with the amount of power I was wielding at the moment, when our swords clashed a small shock wave rippled through the air.

We fought like a pair of demons for what seemed like hours. We moved so fast we seemed to leave an after image. Each blow causing small shockwaves. We both had cuts all over our bodies, leaking out blood and ichor, but we paid them no mind as we continued to fight. All around us, destruction continued to rain down on the monsters. The smart ones ran, but they didn't make it far. The dumbs one charged me to help their master, but I would just flick my wrist and make them golden dust like it was second nature. And so we fought on and on, until I managed to get the upper hand.

I battered him into the ground, and all he could do was raise his sword over his body to block my strikes. I brought my sword down vertically as hard as I could, again and again, until with a final roar, I brought it down one last time. I cleaved his sword in two and my ice sword went right through his shoulder and all the way down to his gut. We stayed that way for a moment, both in shock and breathing heavily.

"It d-doesn't matter i-if you kill me, Perseus," he stuttered from his position kneeling in front of me, taking deep breaths. "Nobody can s-stop what is c-coming. _They_ are rising. Th-the world will burn, your f-friends and family will die. I-it is _inevitable_."

"Been there done that. I'll take my chances," I replied as my destructive forces died down, my power diminishing as the fight ended, leaving the area desolate and devoid of life minus the two of us.

He chuckled slightly. "Too b-bad you won't have a chance," he said as I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. While I had let my guard down, he had picked up a shard of his now broken sword and stabbed me in the gut. I staggered back momentarily and dropped to one knee. "I may d-die, but I will reform in time enough t-to see the world burn. You will perish here and n-now." That angered me. I was mad at myself for letting my guard down, knowing this is a wound I was not going to walk away from in my current weakened state after that power display. I was mad at him, for basically stabbing me while my back was turned when he was already clearly defeated. Finally, I was mad that he wouldn't stay dead, but that gave me an idea.

"N-not if I have anything to say about it." Spurred on by my anger and need to finish the job, I used my sword to rise and walk the few steps between us. "You m-may reform, but not for a damn long time." With that, I let my rage wash over me and I just started hacking and slashing. I cut him apart piece by piece, ignoring his pained screams. By the time I was done, he looked like shredded meat before he started to dissipate into a golden and black liquid. I did what Kronos had done to Ouranos, and the gods to Kronos. Cut him into so many pieces his essence wouldn't reform for millennia, if ever. "Done," I collapsed onto my back, gasping for breath.

As I looked up into the seemingly never-ending haze above, I felt tears sting my eyes. _'I'm sorry, Annabeth. Mom. Estelle. Chiron. Aunt Hestia. Dad. Paul. I'm so sorry. I couldn't keep my promise.'_ I closed my eyes, waiting for Thanatos, relishing in the last sensations of my body. It was quiet. So quiet, it seemed like time stopped. The smell of battle and death permeated my nose. My mouth tasted so dry, a sour taste. But the strangest was the last. As everything went dark, I felt a burning sensation on my skin directly above my heart, extremely painful but my body was too far gone to register it. _'Goodbye.' _And then everything went dark.

**Unknown POV**

"The idiot. I knew this would happen," she said.

"Yes, but we do have one less problem now," he said.

"Yes, no more Perseus Jackson."

"Then we will continue to proceed, our only change to account for Tartarus' failure."

"It's time to really get to work now," she laughed, him joining her. An evil, malicious laugh that could only promise pain to those who heard it.

**Don't worry, this pretty obviously isn't the end. Please leave a review telling me what you liked, didn't like, want to see, etc…**

**I have a little competition for you all. First person, if anyone, to correctly guess who the "**_**They"**_** that Tartarus was referring to is can get me to put one aspect or scene into this story that they want, within reason. You get two guesses, and I will PM you if you get it. Thanks again guys!**


	6. Perseus

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait! My determination to finish this chapter took some mental force. Basically I was like 'human brain: get this chapter done so you can get onto the fun chapters! monkey brain: booooooriiiiing!' Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and don't worry, everything will be explained soon, probably in the next chapter. Please follow, favorite, review, etc… and as always, I don't own PJO or HOO, Uncle Rick does. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6**

**3rd Person POV**

"Percy Jackson was something else,"Chiron began. "Many remember him as the strongest demigod they've ever known, or the best sword fighter we've seen in centuries. Someone who completed quests and beat impossible odds like it was a checklist, or someone to strive to become as great as. But, in all honesty, he hated that. Anyone who really knew him knows he was just a kid, same as most of you. Yes, he was brave, strong, a leader, but that's not how he would have liked his memory to be carried on. I still remember the day he wandered, or more was carried, into camp. A small, skinny, scared boy, but still the same good heart. He would want to be remembered as the kind older brother figure, who anyone could go to with a problem. As the goofy kid that just tried to make others laugh even when he was at his lowest. The man who wouldn't stop at the end of the world for his friends and family. He may have had many titles: the son of Poseidon, leader of Camp Half-Blood, honorary Praetor of New Rome, fear of monsters, bane of titans, dread of giants, slayer of Kronos and Gaia, and twice savior of Olympus. But he hated those. Remember him as he would want to be remembered as. Not the legendary hero, but the kind man he was, just trying to live his life as normally as possible. Thank you, Percy, for all that you have done for Olympus, for your friends… for your family. May you rest well."

It had been two days since the light on Annabeth's necklace had gone out, and practically all of the Greek and Roman mythological world was at the beach of Camp Half-Blood saying their good-byes to the boy, no man, who had done so much for them. Both Greek and Roman halfbloods, many gods, nymphs, naiads, satyrs, cyclops, pegasi, mermen, even the Amazons and Hunters were there, just to show how much of an impact he had made on their world. The only people not there were the few mortal and many immortals that were somewhat glad to finally be rid of him. Even the newer demigods who'd never had a chance to meet him in person were there to pay their respects, silently vowing to strive to be as great as the legend himself, Percy Jackson.

They didn't have a body to burn, so what they had done was gather what possessions of his they could find and wrap them in a beautifully made shroud. The shroud itself was a mix of sea green and blue, covered in depictions of waves, storms, and tridents in the background. In the foreground, it was covered in artwork of all of his quests and accomplishments, from his first retrieving the Master Bolt to his last slaying Gaia. Around the edges, small pearls and threads of gold, bronze, and silver were woven in. It was draped over his possessions left at camp: the Minotaur horn, a broken shield Tyson had made him, various spoils of war he had collected over the years, and a few flowers from his personal collection of Moonlace. 

The shroud and items had been placed on a wooden raft which had been carried through camp by an honor guard of cyclops, led by Tyson who was openly crying profusely, until they had reached the beach and laid it on the surf so that several people could make some final remarks. 

As Chiron finished the final good-bye speech, the cyclops waded out into the water, pushing the raft as they went, until they were hip deep. With one final shove, the raft floated off into the lake, towards the sea. When it reached approximately a quarter mile from shore, Artemis and Apollo stepped forward wielding their bows with lit arrows. They each fired a single shot, both landing perfectly, the the raft turned funeral pyre went up in monstrous flames. 

As the raft floated off out of sight, the large gathering began to disperse until it was only a few left: Poseidon, Grover, Thalia, Nico, Reyna, The Seven, Clarisse, the Stolls, Rachel, Chiron, Hermes, and several others. But eventually, they too left, leaving only one person kneeling in the sand, the tears long since run out.

"YOU PROMISED!" Annabeth screamed at the sea, trembling, her body wracking with dry sobs. "YOU STUPID, SELFISH, IGNORant…" she couldn't continue, knowing whatever she wanted to say was never true and would just disrespect his memory. She of all people should no. "I-i miss you, Seaweed Brain… I n-need you…" With that, a fresh wave streaming down her cheeks. She stayed there for uncountable hours, until the Fates took pity on her and allowed her entry into the realm of Morpheus once more.

**Percy POV **

"Percy… Percy…!" I heard a faint voice like it was far off, but I felt my body being shaken awake. _'So this is what it's like to die. Not too bad I guess.'_ But when I opened my eyes, I froze in shock, for a moment physically unable to process what I was seeing. 

"BOB?!" The silver eyes looking down at me seemed to smile.

"Yes, it is Bob! And Damasen is here too!" He pointed and so I looked behind, my reeling from the sight of the friendly giant there. He too was smiling at me, a small chuckle gracing his lips, probably from the look on my face. 

"Hello, Perseus. It is good to see you again," he said.

"What- but I- you- Tartarus- how the- whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" Damasen chuckled while Bob looked away shyly.

"We have you and Bob here to thank for that," he explained. "Even without his memories, Bob is still the titan lord of the Underworld, and so while our souls were stuck in that accursed chest plate of my father, we explored what power we could. Then, with you apparently slaying the bastard, the barriers keeping us in weakened enough where Bob was able to do whatever it is he did and break us out. So here we are, finding you practically dead surrounded by the pit looking even more unforgiving than usual." I couldn't help myself, I lunged at Bob, bringing him into a bone crushing hug.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you," I cried, tears of both sorrow and joy of seeing him again. "I told the star you said hello," I finally managed to get out. With that, Bob hugged me back, his big arms wrapping over me in an almost protective manner. 

"It's good to see you too, friend," he said. I pulled away, collecting myself. "Is Annabeth good?" I startled at the question.

"Um… well, you see… SHIT! THE NECKLACE!" I hurriedly started looking around, trying to find one of the few tangible objects I still cared about. I heard Damasen laughing at me from behind. I angrily turned, ready to yell at him for laughing at my situation, but froze when I saw what he was holding out to me in his hand. Resting in his palm was both the necklace and Riptide in pen form. He laughed even harder at the face I made, even getting a silent chuckle out of Bob who just smiled, pleased.

"Bob found them," said Bob. I once again engulfed the both of them in a quick hug.

"T-thank you," I chocked out, not daring to say anything else for fear I would burst into tears again.

"Perseus, it seems we have been stuck for quite some time. Would you mind telling us what has happened since we last saw you?" Damasen asked. And so I explained while nibbling on some ambrosia and nectar they offered me, from the moment we got through the Doors of Death to killing Gaia. From my nightmares to that fateful day I got dragged down into hell. From the tortures to the last thing I remembered: fighting Tartarus. "Impressive Perseus. To take our mother down single-handedly is not something to be taken lightly and-" 

"I couldn't have done it without my friends, it's not really that impressive," I shuffled awkwardly, trying not to let my cheeks turn red from the compliment.

"Whatever you say, Perseus, however you cannot deny you were alone when wreaking such havoc on the pit. But I will leave that be as it still does not explain the mark over your heart." 

"Huh?" was all I could say. He pointed and so I looked down at my bare chest, mouth dropping at the sight. Burned into my skin above my heart was a black omega symbol. "Ummm, I honestly don't know. That wasn't there before…" I grazed my hand over it, surprised to see it felt just as smooth as my normal skin, despite it seemingly being burned onto me.

"Hmmm, strange…" Damasen moved to touch it, only to yank his hand back with a grunt. "A strange power is emanating from the mark… I do not know what it is, but if feels very old… ancient. From a time long before the giants, most likely even before the gods." 

"Great," my sarcasm dripping. "Just what I need, another super old thing messing with my life. Anyways, as great as it has been seeing you guys, is there any way you can get me back to, you know, the surface?"

"With Tartarus gone, I think I can do that Percy," said Bob. And so I said my farewells before Bob put a hand on my shoulder, flashing me to Central Park.

Luckily Bob had summoned me a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but as I walked through NYC people still gave me weird looks, though that was probably due to how I was gawking at the sights before me. Yes, I had grown up in this city, but being away so long, especially when that place is Tartarus, gives you a new perspective. I was just happy to be alive, to be home, to see my mom. Gods Estelle was going to be big, it must have been years since I've been here.

Finally, I caught sight of the apartment building. I walked in, a little weirded out see the doorman hadn't changed at all but greeting him nonetheless. He gave me a strange look, which disconcerted me even more, but he still said hello. _'Something's up, and I don't like it'_ I thought.

I finally reached the door. I paused, nervous for the reaction, I didn't know how much had changed. Taking a deep breath, I knocked and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Suspiciously, I knocked again. No answer. _'That's not good.'_ Glancing around first, I uncapped Riptide, using the flat of the blade to jam the door open. What I walked into nearly had me faint. _'No, no no no no no no no…'_ was all that went through my head. 

The furniture was ripped and scattered everywhere. Shards of broken glass carpeted the floor. But hanging by large nails in the living room wall were the bodies of my mom and Paul, their clothes soaked through with blood. A single word was written on the wall between them in red: their blood. _PERSEUS_. 

I fell to my knees, too shocked for tears to even break through. I punched the floor, again and again, angrily, sorrowfully, wordlessly. My hands bloodied on the floor boards. _'How could I let this happen?! How could they let this happen?! How could dad let this happen?!'_ the thoughts racing through my mind at a breakneck pace. I was only woken out of my reverie by the sounds of crying from… the floor below me? 

I tore at the floorboards, anticipating anything except what I found. Tucked into a small metal compartment, clearly some sort of safe spot, was my baby sister Estelle, swaddled in a blue blanket. Pitifully, the first thought to go through my mind was _'How is she still a baby? I thought I've been gone for years?!'_. The second thought was just _'Estelle!'_ I quickly wrapped her in my arms, picking her up, rocking her back and forth as she cried and so did I start to. I sobbed my heart out. My mother was gone, the only constant I had always had in my life. A light, sad, mournful rain shower began outside, flowing with my tears. Eventually, after what seemed like hours of crying, I felt my eyelids start to droop, the taxing emotions getting to me. The last thing I noticed before Hypnos took me was a flash of light through my eyelids, a soothing voice. 

"It will be okay, Percy. Sleep now, you are safe." I couldn't help but listen to them, automatically feeling like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, and so I finally drifted off into the realm of dreams.

**Phew, finally done that! Not my best chapter and kinda short, but it was a necessary one and I hope you all liked it.**

**Again, one person has gotten very close to the answer of who the mysterious two voices are, but you can still guess! Remember, the first person to get it right can pick some scene or whatever that I have to write into the story as long as it's not too farfetched from what I have envisioned for this.**

**Also, check out my new story, The Long Lost God! Will be switching between writing these two stories for the foreseeable future, though that should encourage me to write more cause I won't get as bored. See ya soon!**


	7. Starting Anew?

**Hello everyone! Sorry that it's been so long since I updated. I've been really busy with getting ready for the start of college. Do not worry though, I am about to get back in the groove of writing. As per usual, PJO and HOO is owned by Uncle Rick, I only own this story, and please enjoy.**

**Chapter 7**

**Percy Jackson POV**

I'm pretty sure this is what being dead feels like. My whole body felt completely drained, muscles aching and sore with even the slightest movement, head throbbing. 

As I began to stir, I could pick up little bits of the world around me. I could hear birds chirping and the occasional singing of a woman. Whatever I was lying on was soft as a cloud, letting my body sink into it. Every now and then I could feel a slight breeze brushing against my skin. Until finally I gathered the energy to open my eyes, immediately regretting it. 

"Good morning, Percy," Aphrodite purred. I nearly jumped out of bed in shock, the only thing stopping me being my bodies refusal to move without immense pain.

"What the Hades?" I groaned out. I looked around. We were in a cave, sunlight pouring in through an opening in the rock walls, tapestry's hanging about, all looking a little familiar… "Please, by all the gods, please tell me I'm not trapped on Ogygia with you of all people?!" 

"Oh please, your not trapped here, but you did get the place right! You must have _so_ many good memories here with Calyp-"

"Where is Calypso?! Why are you here?! Why am I here?! AND WHERE THE HADES IS ESTELLE?!" I panicked when I realized I had had my little sister with me when I fell asleep and didn't have her now. 

"Sssshhhh, don't worry, Estelle is sleeping so keep your voice down!" She said in a stern motherly tone, pointing to a crib in the corner of the room that had gone unnoticed in which Estelle could be seen quietly snoring away. I let out a large sigh of relief knowing she was safe, but that only popped up more questions in my head.

"Ok, she's safe, but answer the rest of my questions. And how long have I been asleep? And I've been gone a long time so why is she still practically the same age?" 

"Percy, I'm going to ask that you try and hold your questions until the end, and please don't panic with what I'm going to tell you." Aphrodite's voice held a serious tone that I had never heard in her usual flirty and giggly attitude so I took a deep breath and nodded. 

"To answer your first questions, Calypso is with Leo, leaving the island vacant which I think will prove very useful to both you and me. Second, I brought you here after I found you at your mother's place to heal up and stay away from others since that was your plan all along. I brought your sister along, though I am not sure what to do with her from here, I will leave that up to you." 

"Okay, that all makes sense, but how did you find me? I only just got out of Tartarus."

"Well I found you because I've been keeping an eye on you while you were in the pit."

"Thanks for the help," I grumbled.

"Percy! I'm sorry but there was nothing I could've done. Tartarus was closed off from all, even Hades, but being the oldest goddess does have some perks in that I knew a few ways I could at least keep an eye on you." 

"Okay, but did you tell anyone else? And how long was I gone?"

"What did I say about the questions?" She looked at me pointedly before breaking into a fit of giggles at my pout. "This is the hard part, Percy. Everyone thinks you are dead. The necklace you gave Annabeth had the light die out, and so a funeral was held and everything." 

"But they have to know I'm alive! Annabeth, I promised her I would come ba-"

"Before you go talking about getting back, there are several things that I think might be beneficial if others thought you were dead, besides the AMAZING love story it would be for Annabeth to find you alive after oh so much time!" 

"But-"

"No buts just yet. First of all, you were a wreck even before you disappeared, and you're certainly going to be much more of one after all that time in Tartarus."

"Okay, but exactly how long was I gone?" She took a deep breath. 

"You were gone for only a year in Earth time, but as you should know time works a little bit differently in the Pit. To you, the time you spent there was about 10 years, which is also why Estelle is practically the same age as when you left." I opened my mouth to respond but she immediately placed a finger over it quieting me. "Look, I hate to say this but you were messed up after less than a month in Tartarus before, and I've looked into your memories and even I had to quit after watching about 2 months worth so I can't even imagine how you're feeling right now, but I brought you here so you could get better."

"Okay, thanks and all, but I know gods better than to believe that you brought me here just to get better." She sighed, pausing for a moment as her mind raced, before resigning herself to the truth. 

"You are right as usual. I want you to use this island as a sort of base of operations. Percy, do you know what the symbol over your heart is?"

I looked down at my bare chest to look at the symbol Bob and Damasen had pointed out to me before. "Yeah, it's an Omega. I don't know how I got it, but something tells me you do," I looked at her pointedly. She took a deep breath, getting ready for story mode with a look in her eyes that I had never seen on her. A serious, anxious, scared look, very unlike Aphrodite, which unnerved me to my core.

"Many millennia ago, before even the Titans were born, when the Primordials were still young, the world was in turmoil. Originally, the children of Chaos were peaceful, living as true siblings ruling over their mother's creations, but overtime that peace ended. War ravaged the Earth as each vied for more power over the others, but Chaos was dismayed and angered by this, her creations turning to ruin, and so she had one last child… a mortal child. This child was known by several names: The Destroyer, The World-Ender, The Peacekeeper, et cetera… but the most common name was Omega named after the symbol over his heart, which is actually how the omega became associated with destruction and war. Anyways, eventually this Omega, being a powerful and great warrior, reigned in the Primordials and brought peace once again, but being mortal the last child of Chaos was bound to die and so their siblings would roam freely once again. To prevent this, Chaos preserved the soul of her last child, allowing it to pass on from mortal to mortal, carrying the holy oath of protecting the world against those that would go against the natural order of things, passing on the mantle of the Omega with the symbol burning itself onto those it claims. And so it did, for many millennia, but something changed some time after Kronos and his siblings killed Ouranos and I was born, because after the current Omega then died, another was not chosen to take up the mantle. That is, until now…"

I had flies getting caught in my gaping mouth at this point. "So you're saying I'm this next… Omega? That for some cursed reason I got chosen?" 

"Yes, it appears so. Not only do you bear the symbol, but I can sense the power radiating off of you, power not entirely your own. And not only that, but there was another great prophecy the day you disappeared." _Oh gods no._

"_The lost hero's rage unmatched by all,_

_Fury allow Olympus to stand or fall,_

_Blessed by gods, cursed to war,_

_Feared by monsters, sworn to the poor,_

_Ancient enemies gone from their graves,_

_Creation and destruction for those he saves,_

_A defender's light, a soul cracked in two,_

_A child's cry to bring forth the new,_

_All tribes flock to him, his conquest undone,_

_The symbol of destruction to decide if the battle be won."_

The only thing I could do was let out a very exasperated sigh. "Godsdammit it all," I mumbled under my breath, but Aphrodite clearly heard since she slapped me. "What the Hades was that for?!" 

"For being your usual annoying self. It is an honor and privilege to bear the spirit of Omega! It is-" 

"Shut up! No it godsdamn isn't! I'm sick of the Greek world, I'm sick of these prophecies, all you gods telling me it's supposed to be some stupid honor or something to do anything you say! Haven't I done enough?! Been through enough?!" Her eyes turned soft at this, looking away to avoid my gaze.

"I am sorry Percy. I do understand, but it is not mine or your choice. The spirit chose you, and so you must follow its call, and I believe that the prophecy is clearly talking about you. There is nothing anyone can do." Tears began forming in my eyes and Aphrodite did something that surprised me even more, she hugged me, and I did something that surprised myself which was I accepted it. She held me close as I cried into her shoulder as she charmspoke soothing words into my ear, everything over the apparently last 10 years finally catching up to me: the nightmares, the kidnapping, the torture, my mom and Paul's death, everything. And that is how I fell asleep once again. 

**Linebreak**

…the walls were shaking, the ground rumbling, the oceans churned and the skies roared.

"PLEASE! NO PLEASE!" He raised his sword before bringing it down… 

"NNNNNOOOOOOO!" I sat straight up in bed, covered in sweat, the plea for help dying on my lips. Shaking the visions out of my head, I got up and walked over to the now awake and crying Estelle. Picking her up, I rocked her until she fell back asleep before putting her back in the crib, resigning myself to sitting there and watching her tiny snores. 

"You know you can't keep this up with her around. You've been here a month now and keeping her here is not going to help you get better," the now all too familiar voice of Aphrodite spoke from behind me. I didn't even look up, just kept staring at the only reminder of my mom I had left.

"I know, but I don't know what to do with her. I won't leave her in some mortal orphanage to live some crappy life, she can't stay here, even though she's clear-sighted she's still mortal and can't go to camp, and I don't know any Romans who could take care of her either." 

"I might have another option…" she trailed off but my ears were already perked. I looked at her questioningly before she continued. "As much as I loathe those maidens, the hunters of Artemis are known to take in clear-sighted mortals, and I'm sure they would allow Estelle since she's your sister. You and Artemis have a good relationship and I'm sure Thalia would be more than happy to watch after her." I nodded my head, agreeing with what Aphrodite said.

"True, but she's too young to join the hunters."

"Partially true. She's too young to be a full-on hunter, but Artemis would never turn down a young girl in need. Also, being the goddess of childbirth herself, I'm fairly sure she would love a child of her own. I'm confident I could get her to adopt your sister." 

I pondered that for a moment. "Probably…"

"Percy," she put a hand on my shoulder. "I know you want to watch over your sister but she will be better off with the hunter's. Trust me." I could only nod meekly, a few small tears trailing down my cheeks.

"O-okay."

_**Artemis POV**_

"Thalia! Stop that and eat like a normal person!" Everyone laughed at that. It was a fun dinner consisting of deer and rabbit that had been caught earlier that evening. 

"But milady, I'm starving!" Thalia complained. Everyone laughed even harder at that, even me, though I still gave her a playful glare. It was good to see her this energetic which was rare since the funeral of Percy Jackson. 

"Well, if you keep eating like that you're never going to be full considering more food is falling out of your mouth than getting eaten." Cue the laughter and snickers. Thalia just pouted but continued eating the way she was. Suddenly, a flash filled the room, signaling the appearance of a god, with everyone jumping out of their seats bows raised to greet their least favorite goddess entering. 

"Hello my dears," Aphrodite smiled innocently.

"What do you want?" I growled, but I and the others all became unsettled by the serious expression that looked foreign on her face.

"I must talk to you and the daughter of Zeus. Alone." Thalia glanced at me, but I refused to break my stare down with the goddess who stood for everything I was against. 

"I'm sure it is fine milady," Thalia butted in. 

"Fine, let us walk," I gave in. The three of us left, though I continued to keep an eye on Aphrodite and her wily ways despite how serious she seemed. Eventually we came to a stop a few paces into the trees surrounding the clearing.

"Before I begin, please swear that what I am about to tell you will not be discussed amongst anyone not a part of the hunt. What I have for you is desired by many of Olympus' enemies, and I do not trust anyone else with this information. I know you don't trust me, so I, Aphrodite goddess of love, sex, and beauty, swear on the Styx that what I am about to discuss with you will not intentionally harm you or your hunters, and it is not some part of my plan to get rid of your maidenhood or whatever." Thalia's and mine jaws were both gaping at this point. We could only nod and mumble our oath, the rumble of thunder signaling the sealing of the vows. "What I have for you is a baby." 

"Aphrodite, you know your children nev-"

"This one is not my child. This child is actually of no god or goddess, but a clear-sighted mortal. The child I would ask you to take in, if found, would be hunted to the ends of the world because of her blood though. To ensure she is safe, I would ask that you not only take her in and care for her, but adopt her so she may truly be ready for our world." She snapped her fingers, a basket appearing in her hands. Moving aside the blanket inside, my lieutenant and I gazed upon a beautiful sleeping baby.

"Who is she?" asked Thalia. I raised my eyebrows at the deep breath my fellow goddess took.

"Her name is Estelle… Estelle Jackson, the mortal sister of Percy Jackson…" Our eyes went wide. Thalia started to take quick sharp breaths as she tried to suppress her shock. But I knew my answer immediately, and I knew that Thalia and my hunters would all agree in a heartbeat. 

"Of course I will adopt her."

_**End**_

_**Hey everyone, I'm so sorry this took ssssssooooo long to get out. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed, and remember to keep guessing the mystery voices! I will start posting more soon so!**_


	8. New Titles

_**Hey everyone! I am so sorry I haven't been posting, just school is a lot right now. But, despite my absence, you guys have continued to support this story and I cannot thank you enough for that! Every favorite, follow, review means so, so, so much to me! Also, before I begin, I was asked if I was still taking votes on who Percy ended up with. I am and I'm not at the same time. This is, as of right now, definitely a Percabeth story, but if you guys really, really, really want something else happening, the story is easily alterable. Anyways, as per usual, PJO and HOO belong to Uncle Rick, I only own this story. Please favorite, follow, review, pm, etc… ENJOY!**_

**Chapter 8**

**Percy Jackson POV:**

The fog circled me, choking the life out of my limbs. The darkness enveloped me.

_**break**_

_Whack!_

_Smack!_

_Swoosh!_

_**break**_

I tried to run through, clawing, scraping at the very air. It was too thick, like running through a hip-deep snowbank.

_**break**_

'_Stab, slice, parry, roll, repeat.'_

_**break**_

"You can't do it, Perseus. It is your destiny to fail, to suffer, to make others suffer." Suddenly, the world collapsed around me.

_**break**_

'_Stab, slice, parry, roll, repeat.' _

_**break**_

I slapped myself. Then I did it again. I tried moving, jumping, rolling, anything to avoid the grip of Morpheus' realm. To avoid the images that were bound to plague my mind. Eventually though, I lost the battle… again. And again. And again. And again.

_**break**_

'_Stab, slice, parry, roll, repeat. Stab, slice, parry, roll, repeat. Stab, slice, parry, roll, repeat…'_

A dainty clapping of hands broke me out of my trance as I beheaded the last of the automatons. "Looking good, Percy." I simply grunted in response to Aphrodite, walking past her into the cave to splash water over my sweat-soaked face. I ignored her stares at my shirtless body as she took a seat. "My gods, if only I hadn't put so much effort into you and Annabeth…" she giggled. I just rolled my eyes at her antics, used to them after having seen her almost every day for the last three months.

"How's Estelle?" My usual greeting every time she visits. It had been two months since Aphrodite had taken her to the Hunters of Artemis, which meant it had been two straight months of me worrying nonstop about her.

"As I say every time, she is fine, Percy. Artemis loves her, the hunters love her, and no one outside of their annoying band of maidens knows you're her brother, let alone that she even exists. There's NOTHING to worry about." She pulled out a mirror, fixing her hair as I fixed some food for myself before sitting down across from her while I ate.

"So, when are you finally going to let me get out of this place?" I finally broke the silence. She raised her eyebrow at me.

"I wasn't aware you wanted to leave. Wasn't your whole goal to get away from everything?"

"As much as I wish, I know you have different plans in mind. Especially with this whole Omega thing."

"You know me too well, Percy," she giggled. "Actually, I was just contemplating when would be the right time. Your mental state may not be… ideal, but you have recovered physically, and I don't think staying here will do you much more good. If you think you're ready, then I believe we can start."

"First of all, I'm fine. Second, I'm dying of boredom here so let's just get this over with. I assume you have somewhere you think I should start?"

"Actually, yes. I believe you should start with your dear old Uncle Hades." This time it was me who raised their eyebrow.

"I thought a large part of this was people thinking I'm dead."

"And who do you think keeps telling everyone you are? Who's the one person who should definitely know if you're dead or not?"

"…Oh, yeah…" I slumped in my chair a little.

"I convinced him to continue telling everyone you are dead, the deal being that you go and explain everything that happened. I tried telling him but he claims he wants a 'first-hand account', or if you want the truth he doesn't trust me."

"Well, ok, that shouldn't be too bad. We're on good terms… I think?"

"Great! And think of this as a great time to practice how far you can go with that mist travel thing you've been working on!" She clapped her hands in excitement. "OOO! Before you go, I have a little gift for you!" I visibly gulped. Aphrodite's idea of a gift and a normal persons idea of a gift were not usually very similar. She snapped her fingers, and I instinctively winced, prepared for the worst… but nothing happened? I looked back at her smug smile.

"What did you just do?" There was nothing new in the room. I was somewhat baffled.

"I just gave you my blessing," she said all cheery-like.

"Your… what?"

She rolled her eyes, mumbling something under her breath about me being too thick headed. "I gave you my blessing. It basically means I gave you my powers. You should now be able to do anything a child of mine is able to." I inspected my body, slowly coming to the realization I did feel a little different. "Also, you're somehow even hotter now. I'm sure Annabeth will LOVE it!" she giggled with a wink.

"So, what now? I can just charmspeak? How?"

"And also change your appearance, at least somewhat. And it should come naturally, just as your own powers of the sea do, though you will need to work it just like you would a muscle to make them stronger and easier to use."

"Cool," a whisper was all I could manage.

"Go on. Try it on me. Make me do something," the slight seductiveness in her voice evident. _'How hard can it be,'_ I shrugged. _'To prove this really works, what's something Aphrodite would NEVER do on her own?' _ I focused on my voice, the familiar gut feeling I had when controlling water tugging at me.

"Smear makeup on your face."

She suddenly got a little rigid. Slowly, her hands went to her makeup. She picked up a tube of lipstick, opened it, brought it to her face… _SMACK!_ The red handprint of a stinging slap was embedded into my cheek.

"THAT WAS TOO FAR, PERSEUS! NEVER MAKE ME DO THAT AGAIN!" She threw the lipstick back into her bag as if it was some contagious disease. "Although, I am impressed. That was very strong charmspeak for someone so new to it, and being able to use it on me is impressive. Between that and your looks, you sure you're not one of my kids?" I rolled me eyes once again.

"Well, on that note," I got up out of my seat, a little scared after how much that slap hurt. "I'm gonna head on over to the Underworld. See yah!" And with that, I dissolved into thousands of tiny water molecules and vapor traveled to the world of the dead.

_**break**_

"Who are you?"

"A dead man."

Charon studied my appearance for a minute. I had turned myself pale like a ghost (after several failed attempts) using my new blessing of Aphrodite and thrown on a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. The ferryman was about to say more when I dropped a small but significant stack of drachmas on his desk. All he did was nod, no questions asked, gesturing me towards the elevator.

_**break**_

"That's a good boy!"

_Roof! Bark! Pant!_

Cerberus' three heads panted as I rubbed his belly, our old friendship not forgotten. My normal look restored, he had recognized me instantly.

"You mind giving me a ride to the palace, bud?" The three heads barked in what sounded like a yes.

_**break**_

"Jackson."

"Mrs. Dodds." We spent a long moment glaring at each other before she gave up, opening the gate into the castle of bones, the palace of the Underworld.

_**break**_

"Nephew."

"Uncle."

An awkward silence settled in for a moment, the Lord of the Dead sitting in his black throne, myself standing below him too stubborn to bow.

"Aphrodite said you wanted to see me? Also, uh, thanks I guess for letting everyone think I'm dead."

"Yes, yes, sure thing. And yes, I did want to talk to you. About what happened in Tartarus." And so I told him what happened.

"Interesting…"

"That's all you got to say?" my eyebrows raised.

"Yes, for the most part. Do you mind showing me the symbol?" I nodded, removing my hoodie and shirt, shivering slightly at the cold, dead air. At this point he walked up to take a closer look, making me feel a little bit like some sort of item being inspected. _'Gods, they have no sense of personal space'_. He finally took a step back with a crease in his brow.

"So?"

"Come with me," he declared, already halfway out the door. I snorted in response, following but a moment later.

_**break**_

"Here we are."

I audibly groaned. The River Styx. As you can imagine, I don't have the most pleasant memories about this place.

"So why are we here?" I asked. He didn't respond, instead using the shadows to create a spear which he slammed down on the ground once, twice, three times. For what was probably the billionth time in my life, I found myself cursing out the gods and their annoyingly weird ways in my head.

"Just a moment," said Hades. Suddenly, the water started swirling, rising up out of the riverbed, the form of a woman now standing before us. "Lady Styx, how do you do?"

"I am well, Lord Hades. Hello, Perseus." I blinked in a bit of shock.

"Um, hey," I casually waved. Hades mumbled something about my lack of manners, but I just ignored it. "So, either of you want to tell me what this is about?" They looked at each other for a brief moment before Styx continued.

"You are the new Omega, correct?"

"Uh, yeah, guess so. Why?"

"Do not treat being the Omega so lightly. It is a great honor and privilege to-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop you right there. I'll give you the same spiel I give everyone else. I don't care. I'm sick of this world, I'm sick of everything being some great honor, I'm sick of you gods telling me what I should think. So, DON'T give me that whole lecture." She blinked several times, mouth slightly agape, before she began to chuckle ever so slightly.

"You were right, Hades. This one is different. Not your typical mortal." I was shocked by the slight smile I saw creep onto the King of the Dead's lips. "Alright, so skipping the lecture, do you know what my river represents, Perseus?"

"Yeah. Unbreakable oaths, truth, immortality, stuff like that."

"Yes, that is the gist of it. The role of the Omega is to help keep order, mainly among the immortals, and one of the key elements of that is ensuring they stay true to their word. Traditionally, as one of the oldest goddesses, the Omega has always been blessed by the Styx, and that blessing is what I would like to give to you."

"Great, more blessings, more power, more reasons for Zeus to try to kill me. Just what I wanted," I replied sarcastically. "Just get it over with." She snapped her fingers and I felt a slight rush of power now that I knew what was happening.

Then Hades surprised me once again. "I would like to bless you as well, as an aid as the Omega but also as thanks for giving me a spot on the Olympian Council once again." And so, he snapped and the feeling repeated.

"Great," I mumbled. "So, what exactly can I do now?"

"With my blessing, you are able to force people to tell the truth," said Styx. "Also, I was able to give you the increased strength, speed, and reflexes of the Curse of Achilles, although the invulnerability I was not due to you having already gained and lost the curse."

"With mine," said Hades. "You are able to control the shadows, shadow travel, talk to and summon the dead."

"Cool."

"That's all you have to say?" asked my uncle.

"Thanks, I guess?" I shrugged, the two immortals before just shaking their heads in exasperation.

"I also have one more gift for you, Perseus," Styx said. She held out her hand. "If you would let me see Anaklusmos for but a moment." I uncapped Riptide, handing it to her in sword form. Suddenly, she began chanting in an ancient language. Different colored waters, which I quickly recognized as water from the other rivers of the Underworld, slowly crept up her body and roped around the blade. Riptide began to glow so brightly I had to look away, and when it subsided, I looked back to see my trusty sword looking normal.

"What just happened?" I asked.

"My sisters, the other river goddesses of the Underworld, and I were impressed by you in Tartarus. For even the strongest children of the sea, it is near impossible to control but one of our rivers, yet you managed to wield all five with ease. Both in honor of this and as a gift to the new Omega, your blade, Anaklusmos, has been blessed by the five of us."

"Cool. So, that does what exactly?"

"The sword is now unbreakable. It also will act as a link between yourself and the Underworld, allowing you to call upon and wield our rivers, wherever you may need us."

"Wow. Thank you," I said without looking up as I was inspecting my sword.

"Use that gift wisely. We are willing to help, but my sisters and I will not stand being simply at your beck and call."

"Understood."

"Well, that is all. Good luck… Omega," her final words as she disappeared into the waters below. I turned to my uncle.

"I will bid you farewell here as well, nephew. Please, after all you have done, the Underworld will stand behind you if you need. May you have good fortune upon your journeys."

"Thank you, Uncle Hades," I shook his hand. And with that, I disappeared into the mist, thoughts and expectations of what was yet to come already filling my mind.

**Unknown POV:**

"Everything is coming together nicely." The bright image before them flickered slightly, yet remained focused on their point of interest.

"Yes. Just a little more time."

"Yes. Soon the world will know."

"Yes. And soon they will fail…"

_**END**_

_**HEY EVERYONE! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please continue to try and guess the names of the mystery voices! Remember, first person to get it right is allowed to get me to put ANYTHING (within appropriate reason) into the story, though you do only get two guesses. Please continue to follow, favorite, review, pm, etc…. Until next time!**_


	9. The End of the Beginning

_**Hey everyone! Wow, it's been a while. I'm really sorry about that but at least something good is coming out of this whole quarantine thing. Before I get into it, I don't own PJO or HOO or any of that stuff, that's all Uncle Rick, I just own this story. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! Please follow, favorite, review, etc… when you're done. Especially, please leave reviews. They are, no matter good or bad, what keeps me writing and improving my writing. So, without further ado, enjoy!**_

**Previously**

_"With my blessing, you are able to force people to tell the truth," said Styx. "Also, I was able to give you the increased strength, speed, and reflexes of the Curse of Achilles, although the invulnerability I was not due to you having already gained and lost the curse."_

_"With mine," said Hades. "You are able to control the shadows, shadow travel, talk to and summon the dead."…_

…_"My sisters, the other river goddesses of the Underworld, and I were impressed by you in Tartarus. For even the strongest children of the sea, it is near impossible to control but one of our rivers, yet you managed to wield all five with ease. Both in honor of this and as a gift to the new Omega, your blade, Anaklusmos, has been blessed by the five of us."…_

…_"Well, that is all. Good luck… Omega," her final words as she disappeared into the waters below. I turned to my uncle._

_"I will bid you farewell here as well, nephew. Please, after all you have done, the Underworld will stand behind you if you need. May you have good fortune upon your journeys."_

_"Thank you, Uncle Hades," I shook his hand. And with that, I disappeared into the mist, thoughts and expectations of what was yet to come already filling my mind._

**Chapter 9**

**Reyna POV**

"This is it?"

"Yes, Praetor."

Reyna looked around the clearing, shaking her head in amazement, fascination, and absolute bewilderment. This was the seventh such instance in the last month alone, not counting the countless other scenes just like it over the past half-year.

The view was that of pure destruction. Trees were uprooted and torn apart, the land was cracked and broken, boulders strewn across the grass, and small fires burned where her legionaries still had yet to put out the flames. Covering all of this was a coating of golden dust, the same golden dust that had coated every other similar scene. This time, they were in Wyoming, a place where there shouldn't have been any demigods, let alone anyone powerful enough, that could have fought such a battle.

"Any evidence yet on who… did this?" she gestured to the mess before her.

"No, Praetor." It was frustrating to no end. Someone powerful enough to destroy the landscape and kill large hordes of monsters was on the loose and no one knew who it was. Both the senate and the gods were all over her back about it, scared out of their minds about a possible enemy able to kill with such ease, but she still had yet to have anything to show for the lengthy investigation everyone within the pantheon was a part of now.

"PRAETOR!" She spun around to find a child of Mercury, one of the messengers, sprinting up to her, pausing for a moment to catch his breath. "Praetor!" He saluted her. "We have something! Please, follow me!" And he sprinted back off, Reyna, centurion, and a handful of legionaries in tow.

By the time they had stopped, they were about a half a mile from the clearing, several scattered trees surrounding them. Reyna looked to the messenger, silently asking why he had dragged them all out here, but all he needed to do was point to surprise his legendary Praetor. Several yards in front of them, backed up against a tree, was an injured empousa. Guarded by two other legionaries, imperial gold chains shackled her wrists together although it probably wasn't necessary considering the obviously grievous wounds covering her body. She had clearly been a part of the battle that had happened here.

Reyna crouched down in front of her, ready to jump back if she attacked, but was shocked when she looked into the eyes of the monster and saw… relief? "What were you doing here?"

The empousa tensed up for a moment, but she was young and inexperienced so one glance at the soldiers surrounding her and she was ready to talk. "We were gathering."

"Why?"

"Strength in numbers. We wanted to live. I was scared."

"Why were you scared?"

She tensed up at the question, as if the thought of whatever it was made it real. "The man in black. The Destroyer," she whispered the last part like she was worried it would summon him. Reyna perked up at this, unable to believe what she was seeing and hearing.

"Who is this Destroyer? What did he look like?"

"He was dressed in black with a black cloak and hood."

"Are there any more specific details you can remember?"

"On his cloak, over his heart, was a silver omega symbol, unlike anything I've ever seen. And- and his eyes, they glowed, the only part of him you could see. His glare… it was like he could kill with just a look." Reyna silently thank the gods, shouting for joy in her head. After numerous months of nothing, she was finally getting somewhere.

"Did he say anything? How did he attack? With any powers?"

"He never said a word. We were minding our business when all of a sudden, the shadows on the ground started moving towards the center of our group, coming out of the ground and forming a shape. Then I think lightning struck and suddenly he was there. Like this nightmarish demon. He smelled like a demigod, so we attacked, hungry, but he pulled out this sword and cut through us like soft child meat." Reyna made a disgusted look at that comment. "The ground was shaking, a storm was bringing down lightning, shadows would grab us and rip us apart, some even just started to float before bursting into dust."

All the Romans could think was '_Wow'_. This person, whoever he is, was beyond powerful. Not only that, but he seemed to have the powers of multiple gods because they were certain no one in the pantheon had domains that matched all of this.

"Last question. How are you still alive?" This time, when she looked up, Reyna had no doubt in her mind what she saw. Behind those beady and disgusting eyes, she saw true, pure fear. Nothing else in her life had ever scared the great warrior like that one look.

"H- he let me," the empousa breathed it out, barely audible, but they all heard it. The Romans all stirred, shifting on their feet.

"Why?"

"So, I could spread the message."

"What message?"

"The spirit of the Omega has risen again."

**Percy POV**

"Ugh," was all I managed to get out in greeting to Aphrodite before collapsing onto my bed. I could hear a 'tsk tsk' from her but was too tired and sore to even turn my head to look.

"You can't keep up like this, you know. Calling upon the power of the Omega spirit is draining enough as it is but doing it as often as you have been will, and I can't stress this enough, kill you."

I was too tired, only offering a simple grumble in response and another one in thanks as she handed me some ambrosia and nectar. While I ate, she poured nectar and water on the few wounds I had from my latest fight, stopping the bleeding and closing up the skin. With that done, Aphrodite began to talk again but I wasn't listening. With the pain numbed and my stomach full, it took me about 3.5 seconds to pass out from exhaustion.

_**Break**_

The light shone through the cave entrance, it's glare seeping through my closed eyelids, waking me. I groggily sat up, groaning with soreness.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," I glanced towards the corner of the room, eyeing Aphrodite sitting on the couch, reading one of her magazines.

"How long was I out?" I asked, rubbing my eyes to get the dust out.

"Two days. Not that long." At the mention of the length of time, my stomach growled, eager for another meal.

"Only two days huh. I must be getting better at this," She snorted in laughter at my joke as I poured myself a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. As much as I would've been shocked by that several months ago, we were comfortable around each other enough now that she allowed herself to not be so 'lady-like' as she put it. "Anything happen while I was out?"

"A meeting on Olympus," my ears perked up at that. "Looks like that little message you left found its way home."

"How'd they react? They even know what it meant?"

"Well, I had to do a little story-telling but other than that, it went about as expected."

"Tell me about it, so I'm in the loop."

"Well, it started with the usual bickering…"

**Hera's POV**

"STOP THAT NOW!" Hera was attempting to get Artemis and Apollo to stop shooting each other, but it was in vain. Apollo had started it by trying to flirt with a flustered Thalia, and it had gone about as expected from there. If only Hermes and Ares would stop joining in on the quips, some order might be restored.

"ENOUGH!" It took Zeus slamming his master bolt to quiet the room. "Now then, we have a report from Praetor Reyna. Pay attention, I am told this is of the utmost importance." All eyes were now on the leader of the Roman legion, including several counselors from Camp Half-Blood, Queen Hylla of the Amazons, and several hunters of Artemis. Reyna spent the next few minutes recounting the events that had transpired earlier that day to a stunningly quiet audience. When she finished, silence filled the room. That was quickly broken, and everyone joined in on the chaos.

"Who could be powerful enough to do that?"

"Do any gods have powers that fit all of those?"

"He left an empousa?"

"What do we do now?"

"Is he a friend since he's killed all these monsters?"

"Is he an enemy?"

"Does anyone know what the Hades this Omega spirit is?"

"ENOUGH!" Everyone spun around to face Hera. Usually calm and stoic, she had a raging headache, a major problem she needed dealt with, and a generally bad mood. But she was certainly intrigued, hoping beyond hope that this man might be the solution. "Now, Praetor," usually, she would've switched to her Juno persona here, but the troubles that ailed her required Hera. "I think the object of utmost importance is answering the question of the message. Why did he leave it and what is the Omega spirit? Does anyone know?" She glanced around but all shook their heads until she noticed a squeamish look about the love goddess. "Aphrodite, you clearly know or think something for once. Care to share?"

They glared pointedly at each other before Aphrodite sighed, adapting a very serious look unusual to her and somewhat worrying to all others in the room. "Give me one moment," was all she said before she flashed away and back within a moment. Holding in her hand now was what appeared to be a wooden coin, but what was unique about it was the symbol it bared; a silver omega. She took a deep breath before telling all the story of the Omega.

"…and so, the bearer of the spirit is also known by names such as The Peacekeeper, The World Ender, but most commonly The Destroyer, as the empousa called him."

Hera was astonished, as were all the other gods. None of them had ever heard of this Omega in all their millennia, a fact that frightened them. _'But if he's supposedly a keeper of the balance… he can help me.'_ She wanted, nay, needed to know more.

"And so, what is the wooden coin in your hand?" Aphrodite showed off the item to the crowd before continuing.

"Despite the incredible strength of the Omega spirit, they are mortal, not a god. They cannot be everywhere and see everything. The second or third bearer of the spirit, when I was young, I was told his name was Δεικιδε, meaning 'The God-Killer', created from the wood of the first tree and the flames of the first fire a means of those in dire plight to call upon him, for those who could not help themselves, and for those who had no other way of begging for his aid. In a way, it was the first currency of the world. This is but one of those such coins, and, as far as I know, the only one left."

The natural greed of the Olympians kicked in as they eyed the ancient trinket, hungry for something of such value and representing of such power. Aphrodite, knowing this with a hidden smirk, flashed it away back to its ancient hiding place, knocking the gods out of their reverie.

"We should use it," said Ares.

"Absolutely not, we don't know anything else about him yet," argued back Athena. The usual bickering swallowed the group of deities and their children, yet Hera did not participate. She was deep in thought, crafting one of her wily plans. Little did she know, Aphrodite knew exactly what was going on in the mind of the Queen of Olympus. She had known for some time now, and her plan had worked to perfection.

**Unknown POV**

"This is an unfortunate turn of events," the ancient voice barely mustered a whisper.

"Who could it have chosen?"

"It makes no difference. The spirit could only delay us before, it will never stop us."

"Nothing can stop us."

_**Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed that! Once again, I'm really sorry for not posting in so frickin long, just been crazy busy with school and a million other things. Most of you probably don't remember but keep up the guesses about the voices. Please follow, favorite, review, etc… Until next time!**_


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